| Do you have Indian Meal Moths? |
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The Indian Meal Moth is considered the most troublesome of the moths in Canada.
Sometimes mistaken as clothes moths, homeowners first notice small moths flying in a zigzag fashion around rooms (kitchens and pantries) in the home. These moths fly mostly at night and are attracted to lights and may appear in the living room near or in front of television sets. Occasionally, the larvae or “white worms with black heads” crawl up walls and suspend from the ceiling attached to a single silken thread. Other times, a few larvae may be found in a food package along with unsightly webbing, cast skins and frass (fecal pellets). Packages of whole wheat, graham flour and corn meal are often infested. Most complaints in Canada occur during the months of July and August, but often appear in other months as well. Some adult moths do fly into the home during summer months through open doors or windows, but most “hitchhike” inside packaged goods and groceries. Not only homes, but also restaurants, grocery stores, warehouses, pet stores, seed companies, mill, etc., become infested. The female moth lays between 60 to 300 eggs, singly or in clusters, on or near the foodstuffs. When ready to pupate, mature larvae leave their tubes and spin silken cocoon. They often migrate or “wander” a considerable distance from their food source before finding the pupation site, often in cracks and crevices. Some crawl up walls to where the wall and ceiling meet or crawl to the top of the cupboard to spin the cocoon in which they pupate and from which new adult moths emerge. Mating occurs and the life cycle is repeated. Adult moths live only five to seven days with their major function to reproduce. Moths emerge in April. Generations overlap as the season progresses. There may be five generations per year in some locations. The life cycle depends on temperature. Pheromone traps are commercially available for inspection, monitoring, and pinpointing infestations of adult Indian Meal Moths. The use of insecticides is discouraged around food materials. However, aerosol sprays of synergized pyrethrins, labeled for this use, will control nuisance moths flying around rooms. (Follow label directions and safety precautions). If the problem becomes sever and widespread, contact a reputable, licensed pest control operator, who has the training, experience, equipment, and insecticides to get the control job accomplished. For more information visit the Indian Meal Moth information page and the Do It Yourself Insect page. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Indian Meal Moths or treatment, please call: RELIABLE EXTERMINATORS LIMITED |
Damage is caused by the larvae spinning silken threads as they feed and crawl, thus webbing food particles together. Besides infesting all cereal food products and whole grains, larvae also feed on a wide variety of foods and feeds such as dried fruits, powdered milk, cornmeal, flour, raisins, prunes, nuts, chocolate, candies, health food and seeds, bird seed, dog and cat food, fish food, graham crackers, dried red peppers, pastas, etc.
