Expert: James Yee - 4/30/2007

Question
Hello
I own a Humidor closet 100/64/54cm with 7 drawers.
Today after years of using it I discovered cigars with holes from worms.
My questions are:
1.   What can I do to save the rest of the cigars that were not damaged? I have about 700 hundred single cigars in the humidor and 12 boxes made of wood and carton.
2.   What can I do to make sure that there will not be any worms in the humidor in the future and how can I make sure there are no eggs left in it.
3.   What should I do in order to prevent new cigars I buy in the future infecting the humidor with worms?
I appreciate your help and would love to have the answers as detailed as possible.
Sincerely
Elkana Jacobson


Answer
Hi Elkana,

The holes are actually created by tobacco beetles when the humidor's temperature is too high.  Do not let the humidor's temperature exceed 74 degrees Fahrenhiet as this will incubate the tobacco beetle eggs inside the cigars and cause them to hatch.  Once the eggs hatch, the bugs will feed on your cigars and ruin them.  Fortunately, any cigars that do not have any holes in them can still be saved.

The first thing you should do is throw away all the cigars with holes in them.  Next, take all your cigars that don't have any holes and place in them all in brand new and clean, plastic "sealable" food containers.  Because you have so many cigars, you may need to put the cigars into several large containers.  Place all these containers (with the uninfected cigars) in the freezer for 48 hours. This will kill any bugs inside your cigars and prevent them from hatching.  After 48 hours, return the cigars to your humidor.  

Next, you need to clean your humidor and the cigar boxes.  Simply brush out and vacuum every inch of your humidor and the cigar boxes so that they're free of beetles and eggs.  These eggs can be quite small so be sure to clean your humidor and cigar boxes thoroughly.  Once your humidor is thoroughly vacuumed and clean, you can return all your undamaged cigars back into it.

To prevent tobacco beetles from returning, be sure to keep your humidor's internal temperature below 74 degrees Fahrenhiet.  The ideal temperature and humidity settings is 70/70; 70 degrees Fahrenhiet and 70% humidity.  Keeping your humidity within this range should keep your cigars safe.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James