Tobacco Mites ?

[Padrino]

Need some advice on this one....

Over the last week or so we've had a brutal heatwave and the temps in my humidor went just past 75 deg Fahrenheit and the humidity hovered around 70%. I decided to double check my boxes in case some beetles decided to hatch and was rather shocked to see what appears to be mites running around inside a few of my boxes.

Now there is no damage to any of the cigars (no holes, no debris of any kind) since beetles hatch from inside and burrow their way out and since these mites are pretty tiny and appear ant-like (greyish in colour and impossible to take a pic of) they appear to do no damage to anything.

Now the question. Since mites typically have a lifespan of 2 weeks or so do I just leave it be after getting my temps down or do I just freeze all the boxes as a precaution ? Note that 90% of my boxes have at some point been frozen and theoretically any beetle eggs would not be able to hatch.

Any ideas as to what kind of mites they could be ? they're definitely not beetles.

[Colt45]

They tend to like sources of moisture - humidifiers being one. They should do no harm. You can use a vacuum to clean out your

humidor. Good luck.

[Ken Gargett]

Need some advice on this one....

Over the last week or so we've had a brutal heatwave and the temps in my humidor went just past 75 deg Fahrenheit and the humidity hovered around 70%. I decided to double check my boxes in case some beetles decided to hatch and was rather shocked to see what appears to be mites running around inside a few of my boxes.

Now there is no damage to any of the cigars (no holes, no debris of any kind) since beetles hatch from inside and burrow their way out and since these mites are pretty tiny and appear ant-like (greyish in colour and impossible to take a pic of) they appear to do no damage to anything.

Now the question. Since mites typically have a lifespan of 2 weeks or so do I just leave it be after getting my temps down or do I just freeze all the boxes as a precaution ? Note that 90% of my boxes have at some point been frozen and theoretically any beetle eggs would not be able to hatch.

Any ideas as to what kind of mites they could be ? they're definitely not beetles.

leaving aside the mites, if you had concerns, i'd be freezing the other ten per cent.

[rckymtn22]

Might be good to freeze all of the cigar as the mites may have layed eggs in the boxes or cigars for the next heat wave.

[Stalebread]

Isn't there a difference between a mite and a beetle?

The mite goes for the glue used in labeling and such (and is no threat to cigars) while the beetle heads straight for the tobacco. Is this what you're referring to, Colt?

[Colt45]

Isn't there a difference between a mite and a beetle?

The mite goes for the glue used in labeling and such (and is no threat to cigars) while the beetle heads straight for the tobacco. Is this what you're referring to, Colt?

Yes, the mites don't harm the tobacco. They can go for the glue, but most of what I've read shows they are mainly attracted to moisture.

Here in Padrino's case, a good cleaning of his humidor should be all that is needed.

[smokem]

Isn't there a difference between a mite and a beetle?

The mite goes for the glue used in labeling and such (and is no threat to cigars) while the beetle heads straight for the tobacco. Is this what you're referring to, Colt?

I always understood as stated, no concern with mites. Personally the one time I found some in a box of NCs I couldn't ignore and live with it, so I froze the box and checked the rest.

[Habanos2000]

Isn't there a difference between a mite and a beetle?

There mite be a difference, but what it is beet's me.

[Padrino]

Thank you for the advice gents (colt,ken and Co. ) much appreciated.

3 days after my post the mites died..... so all is good. I've vacuumed the humidor and every single box to make sure everything is nice and clean.

Now my humidor is cleaner than my house

[patman24]

I freaked out today when I saw those white little devils in my humidor. I brushed them off, but they decided not to jump. I guess some of my cigars will have added mite flavoring?

[Padrino]

I freaked out today when I saw those white little devils in my humidor. I brushed them off, but they decided not to jump. I guess some of my cigars will have added mite flavoring?

dunno about the flavoring...

I wonder how many types of mites there actually are, you mention white ones as have a few other results on Google. I had these tiny grey ant-like things...... weird little buggers.

[cadillacdoc]

Nice little read with pictures

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

[Wallbright]

Not to pull up an old thread, but I just wanted to thank you guys for putting my mind at ease. I ran into these little buggers in two different boxes recently. I thought they were beetles but something seemed off. After I recovered from my mild heart attack, and after talking with a friend, I started to research and found this thread. Thanks for clearing things up.

[ErikB]

Had them in the humidor for ages - never any harm

[mncz]

Not to pull up an old thread, but I just wanted to thank you guys for putting my mind at ease. I ran into these little buggers in two different boxes recently. I thought they were beetles but something seemed off. After I recovered from my mild heart attack, and after talking with a friend, I started to research and found this thread. Thanks for clearing things up.

Best wishes for optimal health!

[Laynard]

I'm glad I read this thread last week. Just checked on my stock and a few cigars had a couple of these little buggers loping about. Brushed them off and will check to make sure there's not an epidemic for the next few days. It's been hot as hell and I was away for a few days, so the AC wasn't on. The cigars are in my wineador though, so temps didn't get too high - maybe high 60Fs. Thanks to you guys, I didn't "fill me trousers with me own pudding." On an interesting note, they were only on my Habanos (primarily a single Quintero and a couple RASSC in their box) and not the NCs.

[Blackham]

All the boxes I got from my trip to Cuba in 2010 had wood mites on them. In my case they take a little longer to die off (maybe it was summer), the cigars are still smoking beautifully without any issues.

[Susanne]

There mite be a difference in the flavor but not much... if that just don't beat all...

Reminds me of a Bad News/Good News story... I had made this humidor out of an old Craftsman 2 drawer carry-around toolbox... Everything was cedar lined, absolutely beautiful, worked great! Used to look cute next to the sink of my Westphalia... Had a collection of sticks that had been going for a few years. This was my "travel" box, and would also transport new acquisitions...

Then I bought a box of cigars sourcing from an undisclosed mainland country south of the equator. Put them in my "toolbox", didn't think to freeze them (and yes I knew, I was just in a hurry)... decided they'd be a good traveler, and promptly forgot about them...

Opened it up after quite a few number of months (we were going on a camping trip, and knew the humidifier was likely close to needing recharging), and what greeted me was not unlike this picture of love... the whole D%#**$%#^&$ed humidor.

Tasty, huh?

Believe it or not, there was good news... Realizing I could not trust my awesome humidor, made the decision to set it by the door of the shop, and wait for trash day to "sterilize" my toolbox. 3 days after meeting my new-found humidor companions, and setting the box next to the garage door (awaiting trash day)... someone stole the toolbox.

All I can say is I hope they really enjoyed what they found.

[Skyfall]

There mite be a difference in the flavor but not much... if that just don't beat all...

Reminds me of a Bad News/Good News story... I had made this humidor out of an old Craftsman 2 drawer carry-around toolbox... Everything was cedar lined, absolutely beautiful, worked great! Used to look cute next to the sink of my Westphalia... Had a collection of sticks that had been going for a few years. This was my "travel" box, and would also transport new acquisitions...

Then I bought a box of cigars sourcing from an undisclosed mainland country south of the equator. Put them in my "toolbox", didn't think to freeze them (and yes I knew, I was just in a hurry)... decided they'd be a good traveler, and promptly forgot about them...

Opened it up after quite a few number of months (we were going on a camping trip, and knew the humidifier was likely close to needing recharging), and what greeted me was not unlike this picture of love... the whole D%#**$%#^&$ed humidor.

Tasty, huh?

Believe it or not, there was good news... Realizing I could not trust my awesome humidor, made the decision to set it by the door of the shop, and wait for trash day to "sterilize" my toolbox. 3 days after meeting my new-found humidor companions, and setting the box next to the garage door (awaiting trash day)... someone stole the toolbox.

All I can say is I hope they really enjoyed what they found.

That's a horribly sad picture. There is a definite difference however in Mites and Beetles. Mites don't cause damaage to the cigars or taste, and as you can see from your picture beetles do. Sorry for your loss.

RIP

[maxcjs0101]

Not sure if this is the same with OP but I always get these cream (or was it light grey) colored mites (extremely small ant lookalike) in my tupperdor. I notice that they like to be in cello packaged cigars and most of the time they're on the cello and not on the cigar.

Im still trying to find out what they're called.

[Susanne]

First, a clarification - - THAT was NOT MITE damage. MITES WILL NOT HURT your sticks. I've had mites before - they're a PITA, Annoying... but pretty harmless.

I grabbed that picture from the archives here on the boards, it is a darned accurate representation what greeted me when I opened up the humidor that evening all those years ago. And yes, it hurt badly, and even tho it was many years ago, the sting is still there, so much so that everything - **EVERYTHING** - gets its share of chill time before it goes anywhere, and I am a crusader against those little $#!&$!!!

I think the hardest part was the, to me, irreplacables... a box and almost a half of my #1 all time go to smokes (MC Coronas) a coworker gifted me from an "educational detour tour" (back when that was the only way to get from here to the Island)... A nice selection of Upmanns... some Parti 898's... Even the mainlander sticks (which were the majority in the box) which are, for all intents, irreplacable (some of the old LGH's, AF Hemmingways, and even the C&C Toro's) ...

Anyway, it was long ago, so no use crying over spilled sticks!

[sengjc]

Not sure if this is the same with OP but I always get these cream (or was it light grey) colored mites (extremely small ant lookalike) in my tupperdor. I notice that they like to be in cello packaged cigars and most of the time they're on the cello and not on the cigar.

Im still trying to find out what they're called.

Wood lice.

If your cigars are packaged in wooden boxes they will be more prone to wood lice.

Some humidors may also harbour wood lice, much like wooden furniture.

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[daeji5]

I don't even bother with these mites. I check my shipments stick by stick, throw them in the humi (or freezer if I see any beetle damage), then check them periodically for beetles. Every time I open up a box in my humi, I almost always see these mites. They don't hurt the cigars so they don't hurt me. Just brush em off, light it up. My two cents.

[Skyfall]

The best way to get rid of the wood mites is UV light. The easiest way to achieve this is sit your boxes and stick out in the sun for a few minutes, instant death! Wipe off back to sleep.