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Word of warning

Strayvector

Strayvector

Like what you smoke, smoke what you like
Joined
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Just a word of caution for everyone who may have gone lax in their fight against beetle infestation because of the news that all recent production Habanos are now frozen prior to shipment. I just found 3 sticks of RyJ Short Churchills that have been munched on by beetles. This was from a batch of singles purchased a few months ago and were stored in its own ziploc bag. I opened up the locker today to grab one to smoke when I noticed the fine tabacco dust at the bottom of the bag and I knew right away that an egg must have hatched. Three of the eight sticks had nice little holes in them and 2 others had tabacco dust coming out when tapped. I even found the little suckers in the bag. One larva and 2 beetles. They all went right into the freezer as well as few other bags of cigars that were stored in the same locker. Hopefully, nothing else will hatch in the near future.
 
UGH. Thanks for the heads up!

What temperature were the sticks being kept at?

Has anyone noticed a reduction in beetle outbreaks in recent production?

I just want to know if this is a fluke incident...?
 
Yikes.

My RyJ SC tubos are clean.

Going to check the other 06 stock.

Thanks for the heads up, Sam.

Wilkey
 
I'll "make the rounds" in the coolers tonight.

Thanks for the heads up - B.B.S.
 
Just what I heard but. . .

It's been my understanding that freezing beetles only works after they've hatched. The freezing doesn't destroy their eggs, only the larva and beetles are killed. This makes since to me because it explains how tobacco beetles survive winter in colder areas of the world because their eggs don't freeze.

I don't think freezing Cubans destroys the eggs so any outbreak can still occur given the right conditions.
 
Freezing can destroy the beetle eggs, but the temperature must be suffficiently low.


Mark Twain said:
Just what I heard but. . .

It's been my understanding that freezing beetles only works after they've hatched. The freezing doesn't destroy their eggs, only the larva and beetles are killed. This makes since to me because it explains how tobacco beetles survive winter in colder areas of the world because their eggs don't freeze.

I don't think freezing Cubans destroys the eggs so any outbreak can still occur given the right conditions.
Click to expand...
 
Tapewormboy said:
Freezing can destroy the beetle eggs, but the temperature must be suffficiently low.
Click to expand...
My subzero can reach -20f with the boost button on.. It 's been my understanding that isn't cold enough. I read somewhere a sustained -40f will kill eggs.
Also, I would think freezing would effect the taste. Just like any food you put in the deep freeze!
 
Aye Chi-wa-wa... It's off to the humidors for some segregation. I hate to stereotype but all the Dominicans and Hondurans to the left and all Cubanos to the right...

P.S. - Hey look, 300 posts


Fish
 
There is a lot of debate around freezing and I'm not here to start it up again. While the information that's been presented has not been unequivocal regarding the overall usefulness and efficacy of freezing, I think even freezing in a home freezer has benefit. The story actually has two parts.

It may not totally destroy eggs, but that's only half the story. Home freezer temperatures will kill larvae (the destructive phase of Lasioderma's life cycle).

So, if the cigars you received had an outbreak while in transit, freezing will kill the active insects. It may not destroy the eggs but if you maintain positive control over your storage conditions (i.e. below 67F year round) then once the larvae (and adults) are knocked off, you should not experience any further trouble whether or not there remain any viable eggs in your cigars.

In the past, I've frozen cigars but in the last year, have stopped doing so. In over ten years of active involvement with cigars, I've never had an outbreak in my coolers. I have received several shipments which came with active infestations though.

So, freezing (in a home freezer) isn't just freezing. On the one hand, as a prophylactic or preventative measure, its value is debatable. On the other hand, as a treatment for an active infestation, its effectiveness and benefits are less dubious.

Wilkey
 
i freeze every box of cigars i bring home from cuba...i freeze every box of cigars i get online(not many but from time to time i buy online)...the few '06 boxes i have...already been frozen.

learned this lesson the hard way in '01...dont care if they say all cigars are frozen in cuba before shipping...dont care if an internet vendor says they have been frozen...dont care if somebody says it will affect the taste/long term aging of cigars.

freezing kills all forms of tobacco beetles...eggs larva and adults.

"Items can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer (16 days at 36ºF, 7 days at 25ºF or 32ºF for four to seven days) to kill all stages"

from : http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/stored...ette_beetle.htm

derrek :)
 
dvickery said:
i freeze every box of cigars i bring home from cuba...i freeze every box of cigars i get online(not many but from time to time i buy online)...the few '06 boxes i have...already been frozen.

learned this lesson the hard way in '01...dont care if they say all cigars are frozen in cuba before shipping...dont care if an internet vendor says they have been frozen...dont care if somebody says it will affect the taste/long term aging of cigars.

freezing kills all forms of tobacco beetles...eggs larva and adults.

"Items can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer (16 days at 36ºF, 7 days at 25ºF or 32ºF for four to seven days) to kill all stages"

from : http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/stored...ette_beetle.htm

derrek :)
Click to expand...

derrek,

Interesting attachment, but I would challenge that refrigeration would resolve an outbreak or prevent a future one (once out of the frig of course)
 
dvickery said:
i freeze every box of cigars i bring home from cuba...i freeze every box of cigars i get online(not many but from time to time i buy online)...the few '06 boxes i have...already been frozen.

learned this lesson the hard way in '01...dont care if they say all cigars are frozen in cuba before shipping...dont care if an internet vendor says they have been frozen...dont care if somebody says it will affect the taste/long term aging of cigars.

freezing kills all forms of tobacco beetles...eggs larva and adults.

"Items can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer (16 days at 36ºF, 7 days at 25ºF or 32ºF for four to seven days) to kill all stages"

from : http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/stored...ette_beetle.htm

derrek :)
Click to expand...

This thread is starting to scare me, especially since warmer and more humid summer months are coming. How well has this method worked for you Derrek? I'm thinking of trying this myself.
 
This thread is starting to scare me, especially since warmer and more humid summer months are coming. How well has this method worked for you Derrek? I'm thinking of trying this myself.

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you must understand that my buying habits differ from most here...once again...i get almost all of my smokes from havana.

so far so good...i am not preaching that anyone must do as i say...just decide for yourself.

in '01...i opened a cooler to find a live one crawling along the bottom...apon inspection it was the creature on that webpage...within a day or two i had inspected(and frozen) every cigar i had(perhaps 700 cigars at the time)...bolivar coronas gigantes(3 i made into robustos and 3 write-offs)fonseca cosacos(2 that were salvagable) and monty #4's(2 that were salvaged). inspection and dissection of the gigantes showed larvae.

in retrospect i probably got off lucky...if i had waited a few weeks who knows what i would have found.

since then i have found evidence of beetles often enough to freeze everything.with no reocurrence.

i am happy and my smokes are happy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting attachment, but I would challenge that refrigeration would resolve an outbreak or prevent a future one (once out of the frig of course).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i agree if you are saying that 100% kill rate is not likely...nonetheless i have never had any more.

thank you all...and i apologize for not being able to quote 2 threads together
derrek :)
 
I look it this way... freezing new sticks when they arrive is a good idea and one I use with every box I order over the Internet. Just to make sure the beetles stay asleep until you have a chance to kill them by fire :sign:

Because you never know how the box was treated on its way to you. It might have been sitting in some 100°F shipping room for a few days.

Freeze them when they arrive to put the little boogers back to sleep, and then keep them at 70°F or lower from that point on and your golden.

And no I've never noticed a difference in taste, just make sure you triple bag them.
 
Hey guys,

After reading this thread im thinking a little more into freezing, just a little curious as to what you mean by triple bagging them, I mean aside from the obvious.

Thanks

Jay
 
I bought two boxes last year and didnt have any problems. I suppose it couldnt hurt to play it safe. Nobody likes seeing there stogies go to waste
 
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