I don't think they are all that common. Or rather, heavy infestations are not that common. The B&M I go to inspects every stick they put on the shelves because their insurance policy does not cover tobacco beetle infestations so they have a vested interest in making sure they don't place suspicious looking sticks on the shelf. Plus the manufacturers have their own controls in place (chemicals, freezing, etc). The important thing is to make sure that at the first sign of beetles, toss the infected sticks and freeze the others. It may not destroy the eggs but it will kill larvae.

I'm an expert on this by no means, but I've spoken to some knowledgeable folks and done a good bit of reading on the boards. This is the info I've gleaned on this situation. Hope this helps.

TampaSupremo