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very bad news...
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Robby Offline
#1 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 6:36 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
I was in the ploomidor tonight getting a smoke and as I looked through the glass top, I detected "movement" under the glass inside... I opened the lid and there he was... Ugly little ****. I squashed him and thought (in denial), how did that little bug get inside my humidor? I looked back down at the kleenex, my heart sank...

I started pulling gars out and inspecting them. No holes, but I have a lot of gars... Bottom line is, it's a half day in the office tomorrow, followed by a trip to the store for freezer bags.

I'm going to have to bag up all my babies, freeze the crap out of them for 3 days, then in to the fridge for a day to thaw, then room temp for a day, then back in the ploomidor...

If anyone has done this and has any tips or pointers, please post. I've heard about it, but never actually had to do it. $hit! $hit! $hit! $hit!
Robby Offline
#2 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 6:47 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
F-it! I just sent notification that I won't be in tomorrow! I'm going to get an early start on those ba$tards! How dare they attempt to feast on my collection! I've built it over the years, pampered it, loved it, I inspect in regularly, the audacity, the effrontery! They will die the horrible, cold, frigid death they deserve!!
Mr.Mean Offline
#3 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 6:58 PM EST
Joined: 05-16-2001
Posts: 3,025
Kill them bastards Robby. KILL!!!!
Robby Offline
#4 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 7:09 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
Does anyone have any ideas as to how this will affect the cigars? i.e., will it affect the flavor, burn, etc... if it's carried off correctly? What about the dry ice/gas um with CO2 technique? Better? Worse? Don't bother?
Tobasco Offline
#5 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 7:58 PM EST
Joined: 02-08-2003
Posts: 2,809


I know its been posted before. I dont remember exactly when, but I know its been a subject on these boards before. Try a search.

Sorry to hear this Robby...good luck.

Mag
Tobasco Offline
#6 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 8:04 PM EST
Joined: 02-08-2003
Posts: 2,809

Robby I put the word Beetle in the search box. This is just one I chose to read through...

http://www.cigarbid.com/...geDisplay=0000000012143

Try this one...there are other threads too.

Mag
limoric Offline
#7 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 8:44 PM EST
Joined: 03-08-2001
Posts: 623
Ya pull out the 44 and just start shooting. Hehehe. I just had too. Never been in this position. Good luck!!!If the temp is below 80, they don't hatch. That's all I know.
Tobasco Offline
#8 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 9:05 PM EST
Joined: 02-08-2003
Posts: 2,809


What has happened inside the now famous Ploomidor? As a brother of the leaf, this is a true tradgedy.

Let us know what happens. I hope the smokes you sent me dont have any unexpected visitors :>0...

My humis are kept at about 75 degrees, max, this time of year, so I hope I'm ok...

Mag

Mag
raven01 Offline
#9 Posted: Thu, Aug 7 2003, 11:12 PM EST
Joined: 07-14-2003
Posts: 215
Good luck Robby,Gars are a major now investment I hope yours don't get messed up.Let us know what happens.

Intel Offline
#10 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 1:34 AM EST
Joined: 06-24-2002
Posts: 546
"WHAT MAKES THE GRASS GROW"

BUG BLOOD AND GUTS
BUG BLOOD AND GUTS

xrundog Offline
#11 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 2:54 AM EST
Joined: 01-17-2002
Posts: 2,212
Bad news indeed! If it can happen in the ploomidor, it can happen anywhere!
Robby Offline
#12 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 3:28 AM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
The bottom of the cabinet is 70, the top is 71.5 there's approximately a 1.5 degree variation. It did get a bit moist but not above 73%. And as a I said, I inspect regularly and last night when I found the critter, I could not find any sticks with holes. So I'm at a loss as to where he came from... So freeze inside the boxes? or put the contents of a box in a bag? I was considering the latter.
mrkmitch Offline
#13 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 4:20 AM EST
Joined: 11-18-2002
Posts: 990
Yes, freezing seems to work. You just have to be patient on the thaw and rest period. Too soon and the cigar is tight, hard to draw. Or if you have a frost free freezer, too dry. The treated cigars will need a week (or so) in the 'dor after the thaw, to get back to proper moisture content. Didn't seem to affect the flavor or arouma, after it rested for awhile. Just make sure they are zipped up tight in the baggie while in the freezer to minimize moisture.
mrtelcom Offline
#14 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 5:24 AM EST
Joined: 03-25-2004
Posts: 2,255
I wonder if Freezer Bagsare in order to prevent sublimation.
puskarich Offline
#15 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 8:06 AM EST
Joined: 01-04-2003
Posts: 2,143
Hey Rob, does that count as a "sick day" at work? I know if I found wildlife in my humi/ploomi, I would be sick to my stomach.

You positive it was a beetle? With all the space age technology in the ploomidor, I'm surprised that happened. Maybe a different kind of critter snuck in through a tiny opening in the case?

Best of luck. Go get 'em.
gorob23 Offline
#16 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 8:36 AM EST
Joined: 05-11-2003
Posts: 2,323
Those little Basta*ds!! Robby send me Your addy I have a few gars to keep You going Rob
gorob23
at
yahoo
dot
com
Robby Offline
#17 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 9:00 AM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
I'm reasonably certain it was a friggen beetle... And I really appreciate the offer gorob23, but I’m going to keep a few in a big otter box for the long cold treatment. Now is the winter of our discontent…

I got my freezer bags this afternoon. I’ll be bagging in a few. I’ll post pics. I figure I’ll have separate bags for brands or at least like cigars. Then stuff several in a larger back and pack it tightly…

I have a turkey injector I’m going to use to suck as much air out of the bags before sealing. I.e., roll the zip lock up to get as much air as possible, then seal up to the injector tube, and use the big syringe to suck the last little bit of air out and seal the zip lock.
ajeroth Offline
#18 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 11:40 AM EST
Joined: 07-17-2003
Posts: 1,000
Are you sure it wasn't one of the newer cigars you put in? He could have hatched in the mail or at the cigar shop and then hung out for a while before he burrowed out. Just a thought...
ikonoklast7 Offline
#19 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 1:59 PM EST
Joined: 07-13-2003
Posts: 683
Are you sure its a tobacco beetle? If you're not sure what they look like, might want to check it out first before you freeze your 'gars. People have always told me freezing them will ruin them, causing such nasty things as wrapper cracking and an overall loss of taste. There's always the off chance it could be just a little bug that drifted in on your clothes one night after going outside.
ikonoklast7 Offline
#20 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 2:01 PM EST
Joined: 07-13-2003
Posts: 683
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/graphics1/cigars.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7m.htm&h=300&w=195&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtobacco%2Bbeetle%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG

Maybe this will help. Tobacco beetles look just like that first picture at the top of the page, except very, very tiny...I'd say no bigger than a quarter of an inch.
ikonoklast7 Offline
#21 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 2:01 PM EST
Joined: 07-13-2003
Posts: 683
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th7m.htm

Sorry to keep spamming...try this link instead
arwings Offline
#22 Posted: Fri, Aug 8 2003, 2:37 PM EST
Joined: 02-09-2003
Posts: 950
A real horror story! If it could happen to you it could happen to any of us. The only time I ever had it happen was many, many years ago. You need to be sure it's a beetle. When I had my experience/infestation the little buggers were EVERY WHERE. If I saw one I saw 150! I guess if conditions are right for hatching, they all hatched. If you saw just one, there's hope that it could have been another type of insect (with the right conditions for hatching, why just one?). I was on a trip when it happened to me and didn't discover the problem until I got back, so I lost all of my cigars. Good luck to you.
Robby Offline
#23 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 4:15 AM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
Yeaup, that's the critter... There was one. I started bagging last night but ended up at the local bar and got drunk and played trivia instead (lost). Going to complete and freeze this AM. Still haven't found a cigar with holes or another beetle.
ikonoklast7 Offline
#24 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 7:35 AM EST
Joined: 07-13-2003
Posts: 683
Man, that's a real shame... :-(

This is to cigars as the sinking of the Titanic was to passenger ships.

I hope you can get rid of those bugs and not ruin your smokes.
JonR Offline
#25 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 8:43 AM EST
Joined: 02-19-2002
Posts: 9,740
Yo Robby: You sure that it's a good idea to suck the air out of the bags, won't it put pressure on the cigar wrappers? Just a thought. JonR
cooksta2 Offline
#26 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 11:33 AM EST
Joined: 10-14-2002
Posts: 509
I hope all goes well and they die a slow and painful death in the freezer, the little bastards. Let us know how it turns out. I can only imagine the sick feeling upon realizing the were beetles present. Hopefully, they didn't get too much. Best wishes
StogieJim Offline
#27 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 12:06 PM EST
Joined: 02-14-2003
Posts: 36
Hang in there, Robby.

Sorry to hear about the problem. I wish I could help. Would it make sense to isolate the boxes and keep an eye on them and only freeze the ones that show bugs?

Jim
wer Offline
#28 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 1:51 PM EST
Joined: 02-13-2003
Posts: 1,633
This has made me so paranoid that I spent the entire morning hand inspecting 1000+ cigars. It has been so brutally hot here in Houston that it is costing me a fortune to keep the house cool too. Best of luck on your search and destroy mission Robby.
ikonoklast7 Offline
#29 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 6:35 PM EST
Joined: 07-13-2003
Posts: 683
JonR - actually no. In fact, most cigar producers put bales of tobacco in vacuum chambers as part of the production process, and the lack of are causes the loss of pressure which causes beetle eggs to explode.

But I guess some of them can still survive...or maybe some tobacco accidentally skips the vacuum chamber process...dunno, it's just what I've read
StogieJim Offline
#30 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 6:42 PM EST
Joined: 02-14-2003
Posts: 36
Hi,

This has made me think about the temp in my coolerdors (~75F). Has anyone used non-water cool packs in their cooler-dors? I was thinking of cooling some in the refrigerator (not freezer) and putting them into the 'dors. The insulation is very good perhaps weekly refresh would do. Condensation should be avoided or kept from the boxes naturally.
JonR Offline
#31 Posted: Sat, Aug 9 2003, 9:50 PM EST
Joined: 02-19-2002
Posts: 9,740
Yo ikonoklast7: What you stated is most likely correct, however there is a difference in bales of tobacco and rolled cigars. Placing cigars in a plastic bag then sucking the air out will put pressure on the outside of the cigars and slightly compress the cigars, then freezing will hold the cigars in that position and when thawing the cigars will expand, and as cigar wrappers are extremely thin there is a possibility of spliting and cracking. This is my opinion, I hope I'm wrong because Robby has been through enough having beetles an all. JonR
hoagie55 Offline
#32 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 5:13 AM EST
Joined: 03-01-2003
Posts: 909
I'm truly sorry to hear that Robby! I hope the freezer method works for you and kills those pesty beetles and all of the eggs.

Classy move on the box pass. You handled that very well and I'm glad to be in the pass with you! If you are interested in any of he gars I took from the box pass then just let me now and I'll gladly exchange/trade with you. Hell, if you are interested in any particular cigar, email me and I'll see if I have them and can help you out.

Matt
Robby Offline
#33 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 11:06 AM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
Just got back from a weekend trip to see the folks. The box goes out tomorrow unopened to continue on the pass :-(

I got my gars from the ploomidor bagged up and in the freezer so I'm interested in seeing how that whole process works. Everything I've read seems to be positive, i.e., no lasting effects.

I used gallon ziplock freezer bags. about half full, then as much air out as possible, then two of those into another bag and sealed.

It was quite a load... I didn't get any pics, but will when I take them from the freezer to the fridge. They went in Saturday AM, so I figure Tuesday night, I'll transfer them to the fridge, the Wednesday night into a cooler. Then Friday night, back in to the cleaned and vacuumed ploomidor.

Interestingly enough, when I was pulling my cigars out and bagging them, I could find NONE with holes! As I was going through the top shelf, I spotted another beetle. This was only the second I had seen, AH HA! And I bagged him! He’s in the freezer now, I’ll post a pic so folks can know what to look for.

The good news, incredible news? Is that I saw one lone beetle which put me in to action. Then while bagging, I saw one more and no damaged cigars? I’m sure they came from somewhere, so I may have over looked the cigar they came from. Perhaps it was in cello and I simply couldn’t see the hole, but again, just two bugs! I couldn’t believe my good fortune!

This is a testament to vigilance. As I understand it, these guys can get together, have a party, mate? Eat like little piggies? I don’t know how long it would have taken, but it seems like they could have decimated my cigars given a month or so unchecked…

Oh well, on the porch now with an aged PAM torpedo, counting my blessings.
jd1 Offline
#34 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 11:34 AM EST
Joined: 02-14-2001
Posts: 3,118
They might also have come from the foot of the cigar leaving a nicely bored hole. They don't always exit through the wrapper.

Wishing you the best on the recovery and I'm sure all will be just fine. Patience is the key now so as not to rush anything.
Slimboli Offline
#35 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 1:32 PM EST
Joined: 07-09-2000
Posts: 16,139
Methinks one protests to much ...

If they are if fact tobacco beetles, they hatch from the cigars ... and will leave a hole when they leave.

Methinks you 'may' have caught them in the act ... but, keep in mind they are no bigger than a 'pin head' ...

If, indeed, what you saw, were really tobacco beetles ... they would have left their mark ... and the damage would be done.

You see ... it's not the beetles that do the damage, but the larvae that eat your cigars.

Robby Offline
#36 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 2:39 PM EST
Joined: 10-30-2002
Posts: 5,067
Slim, 850 cigars, 2 beetles, you do the math :-)
qmechanics Offline
#37 Posted: Sun, Aug 10 2003, 5:55 PM EST
Joined: 09-06-2002
Posts: 1,269
Hi
My thoughts are with you .I lost almost a whole box of Zinos and Free Cubas due to those buggers.Please let me know if everything turns out ok,
Q
[email protected]
BMW Offline
#38 Posted: Mon, Aug 11 2003, 2:30 PM EST
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 3,010
I've had a simalar experience Robby. You and your cigars will survive, just don't hurry the "defrosting period". I found 1 beetle and when inspecting each cigar I only found one with a hole and an additional beetle. I freeze almost everything these days. Trying to keep anything in Texas at 70 deg. would be outragiously expensive on the electricity bill.

Ever read a review that mentions the cigar tasted like roasted meat!? Makes you wonder.

Barry
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