Flour Moth / Pantry Moth / Indian Meal Moth
The Flour/Pantry/Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) is a very common kitchen and pantry pest of a great many sorts of dried foodstuffs, including pet food (dried dog and cat food, hamster and guinea pig food, bird seed, etc.), stored grains, cereals, breads, pasta, rice, flour, cornmeal, spices, dried fruits and nuts, rodenticide pellets (first photo below), and also–reportedly–chocolate, cocoa beans, and cookies. Its more commonly known name stems from the 1800s, when cornmeal was referred to as “Indian meal.” It is sometimes spelled with the first two words joined together (Indianmeal), and it has several common names in total: North American High-flyer, Weevil Moth, Pantry Moth, Flour Moth or Grain Moth.
The larvae of this small moth spin silken threads as they crawl around, causing the infested food to look as though it has been webbed together. Newly-hatched larvae are very small, so are difficult to see, but are about ½” in length when fully mature, and range in color anywhere from yellow, to green, to pink, but with a brownish head. Aided by the webbing they spin, the larvae may be found climbing walls or even crawling on ceilings.
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- Pantry Moths / Flour Moths (Plodia interpunctella) (plus larvae and the webbing that the larvae spin, shown with one of their more unusual food sources: rodenticide pellets)
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- A mature Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella) larva with some of its silk webbing that they spin (you can see the webbing between the larva and the coin)
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- Magnified view of a mature Pantry Moth / Flour Moth larva
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- Magnified view of a mature Pantry Moth / Flour Moth larva (Plodia interpunctella)
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- Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella)
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- Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella)
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- Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella)
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- Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella) (newly-emerged; 4/23/2021)
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- Pantry Moth / Flour Moth (Plodia interpunctella) with fewer scales remaining on its wings (likely an older specimen)
Additional Information:
- Indian Meal Moth (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- How to Deal with Pantry Pests (Cornell)