Do cigar beetles live in the wild?

Bob Luken

Do cigar beetles live in the wild? Well, of course they do but what about in my neighborhood? I expect a slight chance of beetles to be present inside of our purchased cigars but is there any chance that the little devils would arrive at my doorstep under their own power? I was wondering this as I threw out another nub after my commute from work. I've been tossing a few in a culvert area. (on my property) But wondered, at some point, if the nubs accumulate, would this pile of nubs attract cigar beetles? I realize that wintertime temps would likely keep any existing beetles, eggs and larvae dormant or dead but what about when the weather warms up? Is there any chance that multiple nub disposal outdoors, in one spot, would attract free range cigar beetles? Maybe they don't prefer pre-smoked nubs. So, what if I have a fresh cigar sitting out on the patio for a while, waiting for me to light it up? Would there be even a small chance that that would attract any wild Tobacco beetles?

kuzi16

it really all depends on the weather in your area.
they do tend to be a warmer weather insect. the winters in much of the US are too long and too cold for survival outside of heated buildings.
however, there are absolutely areas in the US where it never gets cold enough to kill off all of them. the lavel stage is usually the longest lasting stage of the life cycle* and also the least susceptible to cold. the Larve can last several months. the temperature that Larvae become dormant is about 58*F. once you get colder than 40*F for longer periods they larvae start to die off in increasing numbers. once the temp is below freezing for times longer than a week they die in such numbers that colonies of beetles become extremely unlikely.

the beatles dont like it cold:




* though there is some debate that i dont wanna get into right now.