Indian Meal Moth (Plodia Interpunctella)
Facts
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- One of the most commonly reported pests of stored grains.
- Adults fly at night and are attracted to lights.
- Adults are bi-colored with a cream/yellow at the base and a red/dark gray on the outer portion of the wings.
- Adults have a wingspan of 14 - 20 mm length and 6 - 7mm body length.
- Females lay 100-300 eggs directly on the commodity for about a 5-28 day lifespan.
- Optimum development takes place around 30°C at a relative humidity of 70% with the entire life cycle completed in about 28 days.
- Damage is caused only by larvae.
- Larvae eat broken kernels of grain and grain dust and cannot penetrate undamaged grain.
- Larvae cannot chew through packages, so they must enter through a hole or at the seam.
- Larvae leave silky webbing that can contaminate commodity and clog machinery.
- Webbing can result in condensation that causes increased humidity and micro-habitats for toxic moulds.
- Adults fly which allow easy dispersal for infestations in other areas.