Storage of cigarette packages

Bonnie Baskin <bbaskin [at] juno__com> writes

>Does anyone have experience in storing cigarette packages?  At the
>San Francisco Airport Museums, we've received several hundred
>historical and modern boxes and packs.
>...
>...  All
>packages, from cellophane-sealed and full to emptied, retain an
>aroma we suspect could attract continued infestation.  What
>de-infestation methods have people tried, and with what outcomes?

The most likely (although not exclusive) pest of cigarette packages
is the cigarette beetle (which also eats books, bindings, flax,
straw,  spices, other stored products, etc.). I suspect that with
the tobacco gone, the beetles will not be a major problem.

Freezing is an excellent control mechanism. In addition, the
institution might want to consider the use of pheromone traps to
monitor for their presence. Best,

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC  29202-8664
803-787-6910

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:41
                 Distributed: Tuesday, November 3, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-41-006
                                  ***