It’s every cigar smoker’s nightmare: the tobacco beetle. These tiny insects can turn a humidor full of cigars into an unsmokable mess. The beetles exist in larvae form in tobacco leaves. Manufacturers battle these pests by fumigation and other organic methods, while retailers take precautions by inspecting the cigars and properly storing them.

Even with all the aggressive measures taken to prevent beetle infestation, there’s still a chance that a cigar will have beetle larvae rolled into it. The larvae remain dormant and are undetectable until they become active and tunnel their way out of your cigar, leaving pinholes in their wake. They appear when humidors become too warm and moist – beetle larvae hatch at temperatures about 72 degrees and humidity of above 72 percent RH. This is the primary reason you should keep your humidor to the proper level of 70 percent humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you have an infestation, you must act quickly. You’ll be required to do something that is not good for you cigars – freeze them. There is the chance that some of the cigar wrappers will burst due to the expansion of moisture during the freeze. Place the affected cigars in a Tupperware container or Ziploc bag and leave them in the freezer for 48 hours. After the deep freeze, move the containers to the refrigerator for one day to avoid shocking the smokes with a drastic temperature change, which, again, could split their wrappers. In the meantime, wipe down the inside of your humidor with a clean, slightly damp cloth. After a day in the refrigerator, return the cigars to your clean humidor and place a few extra cedar strips inside to help absorb any excess moisture being released.

To prevent future infestations, make sure your humidor is kept out of direct sunlight and is safe from extreme temperature changes. Check and maintain your humidification system. Be sure to use a calibrated hygrometer, preferably a digital one, for accurate readings. Invest in high-quality humidifiers and hygrometers. Your cigars are worth it – or at least the beetles think so.