Beetle scare.......need advise

[Guest cohiba]

Well here is my situation.......havent been posting too much lately at all !! However i have been enjoying reading all the different post from the group. My business is very seasonal, doesnt alow for too much extra time right now. What a great group of people !!!!

My problem.....i was admiring a box of esplendido's wishing i had the time to cut and torch it. Low and behold a little white bug came running across the top of the stick. My stomach dropped ( actually i have been fighting a flu few a couple weeks, so i almost vomited !!). I removed all the cigars and found several more critters running around. Holy **** i am thinking now way this can happen !!!! I live on the beach in California, the temp has never been above 69-70. On top of that i have 2 eskies ( ice chest ) full of boxes that i keep in my closet. Very cold at night and not above 70 in the day. These babies has never topped 70 period. I use caliber 3 hygrometers, they record highs and lows. NEVER ABOVE 70 !!!!!!

Now this threw me into a rage as i search about 30 boxes of cigars, in both coolers. I found 5 boxes with these things inside !!

Monte 1, Esplendido, Hoyo Piramid EL, Hoyo especial EL, Parti P2

What i am confused about is not one cigar has a hole !!!! What are these things ? How do i hande them ? Do i need to worry? I am totally freaked out right now. These boxes are my babies. Sence i have been married the only thing i do for myself is collecting cigars. Even to the point of buying boxes then single's so i dont disturb the full box !!! I dont know, any advise is appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Cohiba

[mgillett]

Cohiba

I don't claim to be an expert on this but from posts I have read elsewhere on this forum I think you are supposed to freeze your cigars for 3 days (in a zip lock bag) and then put them in the fridge for another day or 2 (still in the bag) and then reintroduce to your humi. I'm sure there is a thread on this somewhere on the forum.

They may not be beetles but this will certainly kill whatever it is and any possible eggs in the cigars.

Good luck

[Colt45]

Cohiba, check the recemt thread *What else lurks besides cigar beetles" Holes are from the beetles emerging from the cigar. I'd have to think no holes, no cigar beetles.

Good luck!

[Guest cohiba]

OK i think i jumped the gun here alittle...........i knew you all could help me. Just plain panic attack. Told my wife the story when she got home........"well thats what you get for buying al those damn cigars" LOL

[jay8354]

» OK i think i jumped the gun here alittle...........i knew you all could

» help me. Just plain panic attack. Told my wife the story when she got

» home........"well thats what you get for buying al those damn cigars" LOL

Not a problem, better to worry about nothing then to not do anything. As for wife, no solutions here. :-D

[CIGARHead]

» Well here is my situation.......havent been posting too much lately at all

» !! However i have been enjoying reading all the different post from the

» group. My business is very seasonal, doesnt alow for too much extra time

» right now. What a great group of people !!!!

»

» My problem.....i was admiring a box of esplendido's wishing i had the time

» to cut and torch it. Low and behold a little white bug came running across

» the top of the stick. My stomach dropped ( actually i have been fighting a

» flu few a couple weeks, so i almost vomited !!). I removed all the cigars

» and found several more critters running around. Holy **** i am thinking

» now way this can happen !!!! I live on the beach in California, the temp

» has never been above 69-70. On top of that i have 2 eskies ( ice chest )

» full of boxes that i keep in my closet. Very cold at night and not above

» 70 in the day. These babies has never topped 70 period. I use caliber 3

» hygrometers, they record highs and lows. NEVER ABOVE 70 !!!!!!

»

» Now this threw me into a rage as i search about 30 boxes of cigars, in

» both coolers. I found 5 boxes with these things inside !!

»

» Monte 1, Esplendido, Hoyo Piramid EL, Hoyo especial EL, Parti P2

»

» What i am confused about is not one cigar has a hole !!!! What are these

» things ? How do i hande them ? Do i need to worry? I am totally freaked

» out right now. These boxes are my babies. Sence i have been married the

» only thing i do for myself is collecting cigars. Even to the point of

» buying boxes then single's so i dont disturb the full box !!! I dont know,

» any advise is appreciated.

»

» Thank you in advance

»

» Cohiba

Cohiba,

Just posted a similar scenario. I had a single, very small, white/opaque ****** crawling round. I knew it didnt look like a beetle. From what Ive seen online and from responses here, beetles are about the size of 2 pinheads. Very noticeable. What I saw looked like a very small gnat or ssomething. From what cvm4 (Cliff) and Chicago said in my post, came to the conclusion they were glue mites. Nothing to worry bout. Hope thats what you see and not beetles.

[Guest cohiba]

Thats got to be it guys. Again, great group, and thanks for the help. Keep on smoking.

[dragon]

A) If they are not an oval shape and brownish coloration, they are not tobacco beetles.

The fact that your cigars are never over 70 degrees is no guaranty that you will not have a possible outbreak in the future however. Tobacco beetles can and have hatched at temps as low as 60 degrees. Storage in the low 60's between 62-64 degrees is usually considered ideal to minimize the probability of egg clusters (if present) from hatching.

C) Those tiny white bugs could feed on the glue or the wood or some other organic substance in the packaging, but will not eat through or damage the cigars.

[El Presidente]

That is Dragon.....our forum Entamologist :-D