A New Zealander found a foreign live insect larva inside a tobacco pouch. He was preparing to smoke when he saw the bug crawl out. The foreign live insect larva could have devastating effects to New Zealand's agriculture if it starts to infest crops.

The living Trogoderma variabile, or more commonly known as a warehouse beetle, was discovered by Richard Master in a 30-gram pouch of the tobacco, Park Drive Mild. Mr Master already smoked three quarters of the pack when he noticed the bug.

Warehouse beetles are often found in products usually in storage like seeds, cereals, grain, nuts and legumes. The warehouse beetle found inside the tobacco pouch belongs to a species not from New Zealand.

The foreign insect larva had crawled out of the tobacco that he was rolling in his hand. He said he bought the cigarette at Caltex Waipukurau in Central Hawke's Bay. Mr Master's partner, Jill Aspeling, was disturbed by the foreign insect inside the tobacco pouch.

She was alarmed because she plants her own grain and was concerned about the source of the bug. Ms Aspeling said the foreign insect could have biosecurity issues to crops.

After his bug discovery, Mr Master contacted the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and was told to freeze the foreign insect larva for 2 days to kill it. He was then instructed to send the frozen bug to the ministry after 48 hours.

Scientists at the ministry identified the warehouse beetle and confirmed its origin. Mark Bullians, the Surveillance and Incursion Investigation manager for Plants and Environment, said the insect must not be allowed to propagate in New Zealand. He said the Ministry of Primary Industries intercepts cases of foreign insects in New Zealand from time to time but mostly in several imported products.

Mr Bullians assured the public that one foreign insect was unlikely to present a biosecurity threat. The country already has a number of warehouse pests that didn't become a risk.

Meanwhile, Mr Master and Ms Aspeling received a call from the British American Tobacco which they said was strange. Ms Aspeling said the company kept calling and tried to convince them to send the cigarette packet to them.

The couple said the British American Tobacco wanted the pack of tobacco so bad that the company offered to fly them to its headquarters. Ms Aspeling said the pack had already been sent to MPI. One of the company's staff members said the cigarettes have been packed in Holland.

Susan Jones, a spokesperson from British American Tobacco, confirmed that the company received a complaint about a live foreign insect larva in a tobacco pouch. She said the company does not know of any complaints regarding the presence of the warehouse beetle inside a cigarette pack.

She added that Mr Master's discovery appeared to be an isolated case and the company is taking the matter seriously. She apologised in behalf of the company and in fact contacted the customer to retrieve the pack in order to get the product batch number for verification.

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