Indian Meal Moths are probably the most common pantry pest found in kitchens and pantries.
Adults
of Indian meal moths have a wingspan of about 3/4" when at rest, the wings are folded together-held
tightly together by the body .
The wing is a blend of two colors: front half of the wings-pale grey-pale tan, bottom
half of the wings: a rust-bronze color
Larvae size: is 1/2", a dirty white-off white color, it can have green
or pink hues.
They are nocturnal, flying a night...if disturbed during the flying, they will zig zag. They rest during
the day in dark places.
They lay their eggs in food stuffs like: grains, grain products, dried food, dried fruit, powder
milk, seeds, candy, chocolates, and specially dry pet foods.
Indian meal moths can take from 25-135 days for
moths egg-egg development cycle to occur.
can take from 25-135 days for moths egg-egg development cycle to occur.
One moth can lay 100-400 eggs over 1-18 day period. Almost any thing in your pantry that is not in a "tin can"
is suspect.
The larvae is what does the damage-feeding on these different food items, forming an extensive web type
of substance over the food items that they infest.
Abundant webbing in infested materials is characteristic Of infestations
by the Indian meal moth. Its larvae are often found far from infested foods because they usually crawl away from their foods
to construct silken cocoons in which to pupate. The Clothes moth is a little different in that they have no distinctive markings,
and the wing span is only 1/4th".
are probably the most common pantry pest found in kitchens and
pantries.
Adults of Indian meal moths have a wingspan of about 3/4" when at rest, the wings are folded
together-held tightly together by the body .
The wing is a blend of two colors: front half of the wings-pale grey-pale
tan, bottom half of the wings: a rust-bronze color
Larvae size: is 1/2", a dirty white-off white color, it can
have green or pink hues.
They are nocturnal, flying a night...if disturbed during the flying, they will zig zag. They
rest during the day in dark places.
They lay their eggs in food stuffs like: grains, grain products, dried food, dried
fruit, powder milk, seeds, candy, chocolates, and specially dry pet foods.
Indian meal moths can take from
25-135 days for moths egg-egg development cycle to occur.
can take from 25-135 days for moths egg-egg development
cycle to occur.
One moth can lay 100-400 eggs over 1-18 day period. Almost any thing in your pantry that is not in a "tin
can" is suspect.
The larvae is what does the damage-feeding on these different food items, forming an extensive
web type of substance over the food items that they infest.
Abundant webbing in infested materials is characteristic
Of infestations by the Indian meal moth. Its larvae are often found far from infested foods because they usually crawl away
from their foods to construct silken cocoons in which to pupate. The Clothes moth is a little different in that they have
no distinctive markings, and the wing span is only 1/4th".
