The Tobacco Beetle Informational Thread

I'm setting up this thread to provide a comprehensive resource on the cigar beetle, Lasioderma Serricorne. This one will be a bit different that many of the other informational threads found here or on other forums in that the approach will be pseudo-wiki-like. I'll manage the first three posts to present and catalogue the information, experiences, and strategies relating to the beetle with respect to cigars. All members are invited to present information to be included in this joint project subject to one stipulation. When presenting information, you must also link to or provide the URL for the website or forum where you found this information. If you found the info in a book, magazine, or journal please provide a title and author, volume and issue where appropriate. If rebutting information that's been proposed for inclusion, please back it up with a reference.

Why this requirement? Simply because of the multitude of threads I've encountered all across the net, you see the same old information and hearsay propagated over and over again. My intent is to enlist the processing power of the members of CigarPass to construct the definitive web resource on dealing with this dreaded pest.

With that, if you all are game, then let the games begin!

Wilkey

Post 1/3 reserved.

Information on approaches to preventing beetle outbreaks in your collection (e.g., freezing, fumigating).

Post 2/3 reserved.

Information on storage conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, shipping).

Post 3/3 reserved.

Information on the beetle itself (e.g., life cycle, resistance to cold, prevalence in tobacco products).

Ok,

I'll get things started. When I used to freeze all my incoming Habanos, this is the procedure I used.

A. Pre-Preparation
1. Rest the box in coolerdor for 2+ weeks after receipt to give the cigars a chance to stabilize to normal storage conditions.

B. Preparation
1. Wrap the intact box in one complete layer of Glad/Cling/polyethelyene food film. Then...
2. Wrap the box in one complete layer of aluminum foil. Then...
3. Seal the box in a freezer-grade Ziploc bag, if it will fit. If not, then two thicknesses of kitchen garbage bag. Then...
4. Place the wrapped box inside a plastic grocery bag and tape it up with masking or packaging tape removing as much airspace as possible.

The objective of the many layers is to prevent condensations against the box (Glad film), prevent drying out (foil), and protect the entire assemblage (Ziploc, grocery bag).

C. Temperature Cycling
1. Place the wrapped box in the veggie crisper for 24 hours.
2. Transfer the wrapped box into chest or refrigerator freezer for 4-5 days.
3. Return the box to the veggie crisper for 24 hours.
4. Place the box in the same room as coolerdor for 24 hours.

The point of going from room temp -> veggie crisper -> freezer -> veggie crisper -> room temp is to change the conditions as gradually as possible to minimize thermal/hygro shock related damage.

D. Post-Preparation
1. Remove all wrapping materials from the box.
2. Place box in coolerdor.

It sounds like a lot but once you get in the groove, it's really quite straightforward. Before I stopped freezing a few years ago, everything got this treatment. I was never able to discern any deleterious effect of the freezing either in the short or long term. I typically took one or two cigars out to smoke prior to freezing anyway and this provided controls to gauge any effect from the freezing.

My greatest concern in all of this was the preservation of box internal humidity. Thus, the foil layer and multiple plastic buffering layers and the squeezing out of air.

Wilkey

Thanks for the info. I hope I never have to go through the procedure.

NiteSeer said:

Thanks for the info. I hope I never have to go through the procedure.

Click to expand...

Some would say that's just rolling the dice. We can hope never to have an active beetle outbreak, but freezing is a course of action that we choose to do or not do based on perceived risk/reward/cost.

Wilkey

I remember reading somewhere that the time in the freezer was dependent on how cold the freezer was. I don't believe that it was from a cited source though, and it might have just been the opinion of the author. Any thoughts?

Marcos...you are correct. The temperature does matter. The next issue of Cigar Magazine will have all the info with the latest reseearch.

You would think that dealers or distributors could provide some statistics on what % of boxes that go out end up with beetle problems.