Western Exterminators - Pest Control Services California, Arizona, Nevada

Stored Product Pests: Confused Flour Beetle | Drugstore Beetle | Indian Meal Moth | Rice Weevil | Saw-toothed Grain Beetle

	Common name:	Latin name:	Class:	Order:	Family:
	Indian Meal Moth	Plodia Interpunctella (Hubner)	Insecta	Lepidoptera	Anobiidae

	Size:
	Adult has wingspread of about 5/8-3/4 inch (16-20 mm).
	Characteristics:
	Adult’s hind wing is broader than front wing and fringed with long hair-like scales. Larva has 5 pairs of well-developed prolegs on abdomen, each with hooks.
	Color:
	Very distinctive, with a coppery red outer half to each forewing, and a creamy white basal half. Mature larva usually dirty white, but may vary to greenish, pinkish, or brownish, depending on food it eats; head region is yellowish to reddish brown.
	Where Found:
	Originated in Europe and Asia but now found throughout the world.
	Comparison:
	Compared to the Indian Meal Moth, the carpet or Tapestry Moth has front wings that are dark brown to black on the inner one-third near the base, the rest being white splotched with gray and black. Other small moths do not have same front wing color characteristic, or wingspread size, and/or hind wing proportional size and fringe as the Indian Meal Moth.
	Habitat:
	The larva's home is your food.
	Food:
	Because of its extensive webbing, it spoils more food than it can consume: grain and grain products; variety of dried foods, such as fruit, nuts, seeds, crackers, and powdered milk; chocolate, candy; dried red peppers; dry dog food; bird seed.
	Biology:
	Females lays 100-400 eggs, singly or in small groups, on food material during a 1-18 day period. Newly hatched larva establishes in a crevice of food material, making a webbed tunnel-like case of frass and silk, in which, or near which, it feeds. Temperature and availability of food determine length of the larval stages (13-288 days). Last instar (stage) larva leaves food to find a suitable place for pupation. Complete life cycle takes 25-135 days, with 4-6 generations per year.
	Damage:
	Adults cause no damage. Larvae produce web material found in food, such as dried fruits, whole wheat and graham flours, cornmeal, and shelled or ear corn.
	Invasion:
	Enter structures in boxes and bags of food from grocery stores.
	Control:
	When controlling stored product pests, the following six-step process should be implemented: 1) Prevention- Inspect incoming products. Reduce entry points that insects may be using to enter the structure. 2) Good Sanitation- Eliminate spilled or damaged products. Completely empty storage areas and check all products carefully for signs of infestation. Vacuum up any spilled products, especially in cracks and crevices where spilled products can accumulate. 3) Proper Storage- Store products in entry-proof containers. Eliminate cardboard containers or paper containers that are easier to penetrate by larva or adult stages of insects. 4) Stock Rotation- Do not forget old products in the back of storage areas. Old products are subject to attack because of sitting undisturbed, possibly damaged. 5) Ventilation- Reduction of moisture content in stored products is important. Many stored product pests require high humidity conditions to survive. 6) Control- Treatment of prepared pantry storage areas is required due to the habits of some stored product pests that pupate away from the infested products. Summary- Finding and eliminating the source is the best way to achieve long-term control. Using aerosol pesticides for flying adult insects will only give you temporary relief. When using any pesticide, be sure it is registered for the target pest/location. Read the entire label prior to use. Follow all label directions, restrictions, and precautions.