Indian Meal Moth Pest Control

This moth has wingspread of up to 20mm. The distal half of the forewings are copper or reddish brown in colour and the proximal half are pale grey. The larvae whitish to pinkish coloured caterpillar has a brown head and thoracic shield. Heavy infestations can produce highly visible sheets of webbing over the surface of infested material. Only larvae can cause damage.

The larvae prefer coarser grades of flour than the Mediterranean flour moth.

The female moth will lay 200-400 eggs during an 18 day period. Larvae hatch in a couple of days and enter crevices of food. This moth is the most common and economically significant food-infesting pest found in Ontario.

The larvae prefer finer grades of flour than the Indian meal moth larvae. The female will lay 100-650 eggs during 18 day period. Larvae hatch in a couple of days and enter in crevices of the food. The average life cycle is found flying most often in evenings. Average lifecycle is complete in 9-10 weeks. This moth is found flying most often in evening hours and has a characteristic zig-zag flying motion. This moth is commonly a pest in mills and warehouses where its thick masses if webbing can clog machinery.