Pantry Moths
Indian Meal Moths
Indian meal moths do significant damage to stored flour, meal, and other grain products. Even when the food is minimally infested the larvae and their webbing will ruin its taste. Once established in food, insect populations can increase and infest vulnerable material throughout the home, or storage area. Some adult moths can fly but most are carried inside. Homes or facilities with improperly stored, spilled or exposed food products will attract the insects. Foods that are not tightly sealed, especially those maintained for long periods of time, are particularly susceptible to infestation. The adult Indian meal moth, has a wingspan of about 1/2- to 3/4-inch. The tips or outer half of the wings are reddish brown or “coppery,” while the base portions are grayish-white.
The larvae are usually off-white but can be pink, yellow, greenish, or brownish. At maturity, the larvae are about 1/2-inch long. The larvae, which spin a great deal of webbing while they are feeding and maturing, are usually found in or near silk tubes. When ready to pupate, the larvae will leave their tubes to spin a cocoon. They often migrate a considerable distance from their food source while searching for a pupation site, and are found on walls, countertops, and ceilings. This is especially true when infestations are heavy. There can be four to nine generations per year, depending on the food supply and house temperature. The larval stage is the feeding or “pest” stage. Indian meal moth larvae appear in grain, cereal and grain products, dried fruit, dog food, candy, dried milk, and many other foodstuffs.
Grain Moths
This is a pest of stored grain and is active at low temperatures and can cause considerable damage during the winter months. Adults cause no damage but the larva will require a whole kernel or caked material for development. Adults are attracted to light. They prefer to attack barley, rye, corn, oats, rice and various seeds. It attacks both grains in the field and in storage, but only whole kernels. It prefers damp grain as opposed to old dry grain. Infested grain has a sickening smell and taste. The moths leave a lot of debris on top of the infested grain. Adults with wingspread are about 1/2- to 5/8-inch long. Their colour is buff to pale yellowish-brown. Hind wings abruptly narrowed at tip towards the front wing and fringed with hair-like scales, about as long as wing is wide. The mature larva grows up to 1/4-inch long. They are coloured white with yellowish head and dark reddish-brown mouthparts.
Mediterranean Flour Moth
The Mediterranean flour moth is somewhat larger than the Indian meal moth. Their development and the damage they cause is similar to the Indian meal moth, except the larvae live and feed in small silken tubes they spin. Although flour is the favourite food, grains, bran, breakfast foods and pollen in beehives are also attacked. The life cycle takes about 10 weeks. The webbing and matting of the larvae often cause the greatest amount of damage by this insect, whether it is contaminating foods in the home or clogging industrial machinery. The adult moth is a pale-grey colour and from one-forth to one-half inch long, with a wingspread of slightly less than one inch. The wings are marked with two indistinct, black zigzag lines. The hind wings are a dirty white. This moth is easily recognized by its characteristic pose when resting. When at rest, the moth extends the forelegs which raises the head and gives the body a sloping appearance.
Clothes Moths
These moths infest closets, drawers and storage areas as well as rugs, wall hangings and upholstery. The damage occurs when larvae feed on certain animal-based fabrics like wool and silk. Sanitation and attention to how fabrics are stored are the keys to clothes moth control. Clothes moth larvae These larvae are capable of doing considerable damage to certain types of fabrics and other natural articles. However, only items in long-term storage or those that are not disturbed for long periods of time sustain damage. Items that are regularly used and cleaned are much less likely to be infested. Clothes moth larvae are especially damaging to fabric that has been stained or soiled; food stains, sweat and urine are especially attractive. In fact, there is evidence that clothes moth larvae will not develop on clean fabric because it lacks certain necessary nutrients. Therefore, always launder or dry clean clothes before putting them into long-term storage.
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