The
Indian meal moth is found more than any
other insect in stored food products in
the United States. This insect got its
name by being a pest of "Indian corn,"
or maize. Like maize itself, the meal
moth may have originated in South
America. However, the meal moth is no
longer exclusive to that continent and
is a prevalent nuisance in the US.
The meal moth usually measures 3/8” long
and has a wingspan of about 5/8.” They
are easy to identify because of the
rusty-red color covering the outer 2/3
of their body and gray coloring on the
the inner 1/3 portion of their body.
A female meal moth will lay from 100 to
300 eggs during her lifetime. The eggs
are laid either in groups or one at a
time on food material and are difficult
to see. For this reason, complete
population control can be difficult to
achieve at times.
The feeding stage of the life cycle, the
caterpillar, is dirty white to pink in
color and measures about a ½”. It can be
identified by two distinct black
mandibles that are present on its head.
The caterpillar will leave behind a
thread wherever it goes and eventually
spins a web when it is full-grown.
Normal room temperature and readily
available nutrition cause the
caterpillar stage to last from 2 to 5
weeks. When it is much colder, this
stage can last for up to two years.
After spinning the cocoon, the adult
emerges in 30 days. There are 4-6
generations per year.
The Indian meal moth usually flies at
night and can be observed hanging around
lights or television sets. The adults
will fly in a zigzagging pattern if
disturbed during the day.
One way of knowing if you have meal
moths is looking for food particles spun
into their web.
No food outside of a can or vacuum
sealed container is safe from the meal
moth. If you discover that you are
infested, everything outside of these
types of containers must be thrown out.
Failure to do so will lead to
re-infestation once more eggs hatch from
the remaining food.
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