This usually means your cigars are infested with the tobacco beetle, or Lasioderma serricorne, a widely distributed pest that attacks dried tobacco. Additional signs are dust in the mouth upon drawing on the cigar or brown dust sprinkled in the cigar box’s floor.
Although today it is common practice among manufacturers and retailers to fumigate the cigars, it’s not impossible for an outbreak to occur and unfortunately, it could happen to you.
What should you do? First, don’t panic. If you find one affected cigar in a box, please be aware that one infested cigar can lead to others, but only if enough time passes for an adult beetle to lay eggs on the other cigars.
Throw away all cigars with holes. All cigars that do not have holes can be put in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for 3 days. After freezing you should thaw the cigars gradually in the refrigerator before placing them at room temperature again.
Finally, make sure you thoroughly clean your humidor with a damp cloth and allow to air dry.