MEAL MOTHS
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Meal Moths are probably the most common pantry pest found in kitchens and pantries.

APPEARANCE:

 




SIZE &COLOR
BODY: Body size: 3/8th inch long
WINGS: Wing size: spreads about 3/4"-when at rest, the wings are folded together-held tightly together by the body Blend of two colors: front half of the wings-pale grey-pale tan, bottom half of the wings: a rust-bronze color
LARVAE: Larvae size: 1/2" A dirty white-off white color,
can have green or pink hues

 




HABITS



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. 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.

After the larvae stage-they go into a cocoon...it is called-"pupate"-spinning a cocoon (very similar to a butterfly). These larvae can sometimes be found wandering : many are found in cracks and crevices.

The Clothes moth is a little different...they have no distinctive markings, and the wing span is only 1/4th".

 




 

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