Mediterranean flour mothsElimination, DescriptionMoth Traps Mediterranean Flour Moth Description Moth Control, Elimination Insecticide Control Pantry Pests The Mediterranean Flour Moth can be found in many foods in addition to flour, grain residues, broken kernels and various whole grains. Although this insect is not as serious a pest as the Indian meal moth and some of the grain infesting beetles, it still causes clogging of machinery with its webbing, and at times causes grain mill shut-downs. The adult moth has a wingspread of nearly one inch. The forewings are a pale gray with transverse wavy black markings (not prominent). When resting, the wings are held to the body, but the head and tip of the abdomen are characteristically slightly raised. Development and damage is similar to the Indian meal moth, except the larvae live and feed in small silken tubes they spin. Although flour is the favorite food, grains, bran, breakfast foods and pollen in beehives are also attacked. The life cycle takes about 10 weeks. The webbing and matting of the larvae often cause the greatest amount of damage by this insect, whether it is contaminating foods in the home or clogging industrial machinery. The
female moth lays from 116 to 678 small white eggs in flour, meal, waste grain, and other
food sources. Commonly, the eggs are attached to the food. Within a few days
(three days at eighty to ninety degrees F) the eggs hatch into small larvae, with a very
hard and dark colored head and small black spots on the body, that immediately begin to
spin silken their tubes. The larvae remain within the tubes until fully mature,
about forty days. When fully grown, the larvae will leave the immediate area where
they were feeding and wander about in search of a location to spin silken cocoons.
Within the cocoons, they transform into the pupae. After eight to twelve days of the
pupa stage, the adult moths emerge. During very warm weather, the Mediterranean
flour moth may complete its life cycle (egg to adult) in five to seven weeks. Moth EliminationThe three-step Integrated Pest Management procedure for controlling Indian Meal Moths, Mediterranean Flour Moths: For light infestations, follow steps 1 and 3; for heavy or persistent infestations, follow all 3 steps.
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