Indian meal moths (also called pantry moths or flour moths) larvae hatch in stored dry goods… flour, grains, seeds, cereal, chocolate, cake mixes, rice, nuts, dried fruit, dog food, birdseed, even tea, herbs and spices.
Adult flour moth & Pupa (left)-Alameda County Community Developement Agency, Adult Moth (right)-USDA Grain Marketing & Production Research Center
Description
Adult flour moths are approx. 2cm, brownish grey with a powdery substance on the wings. The larvae are very tiny and look like very small maggots. They are usually yellow or white with brown heads and measure around 1.5cm. Mediterranean flour moths resemble the indian flour moth and are very similar in appearance and their diet is basically the same. Indications you have them are finding the contents of cereal boxes clinging to the sides of the box in a mass of fine webs… or you find small, brownish moths flitting around inside your cupboard… or tiny cocoons and larvae in your dry goods like flour, pasta or beans.
Flour moth larvae (left)-USDA Grain Marketing & Production Research Center, Adult and larva (right)-Clemson University
Habitat and Lifecycle
Flour moths occur worldwide and are a particular pest in grain and flour mills. They can infest your pantry in no time if care is not taken. Control is extremely difficult. Female flour moths can lay 150-600 eggs at a time. They can hatch within 3 days at temperatures higher than 20 C (80 F) Eggs are laid in flour products and larvae feed and spin small loose webs. After feeding larvae pupate in the grains and emerge into adults. The lifecycle can be continuous year round.
Adults and larva-University of Missouri
Diet and Damage
Indian meal moths infest flour, bran, grains, all types of meal, cereals, pet food, livestock feed and other foodstuffs containing flour and grains. Adults do not feed and live only long enough to mate and reproduce. If you see any of them flying around a pet store, don’t even think of buying pet foods there and inform the owner. Once you have introduced them in your home, getting rid of them is extremely difficult.
How to get rid of Indian meal moths (a.k.a. “pantry moths” or “flour moths”)
- Cupboard Moth Trap – I have successfully used Cupboard Moth Traps like these. They work wherever food is stored. You put the cardboard traps in cabinets and pantries with food; they’re non-toxic and free of pesticides. The pheromone lure lasts for about 3 months. When the trap is covered with dead moths you just replace the trap with a new one. For light infestation you can also refresh the pheromone lure. They work great!
- Clean out all your pantries and wipe very well with hot soapy water.
- Line all the cracks and crevices inside the pantry with a sticky substance such as tanglefoot.
- With a q-tip remove and destroy every larvae, egg and pupae that you find.
- Use containers with tight fitting lids.
- In summer months, store your cereals, grains and flour in the fridge to prevent an overpopulation.
- Take all containers with the foodstuffs and place in the freezer for at least five days and then dispose of the foodstuff or feed it to your chickens, they love any kind of bugs.
I keep bay leaves in my rice to keep it larvae free.
These things have been in my pantry for at least a few months, I cleaned out the pantry and removed the silk that they leave behind them and vacuumed up the moths and larvae, yet they still live in the house.
Just found these in some dog biscuits recently purchased. Unfortunately didn’t find them soon enough. I’ve moved and contained the biscuits but then found 2 on the kitchen cabinets. My questions is. would one of those house bombs get rid of these? Guessing once they get into cereal boxes, etc. it’s too late, but if they haven’t reached that far, would the bomb help?
Nope
nope and it is also poison. get the traps and toss the food
Also useful for keeping moths away is food grade diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it in cracks and underneath drawers. Since it is non-toxic, it can even be mixed into food such as dry dog or cat food for protection.
OH!!! I hate these things!! I just kept seeing them everywhere and couldn’t figure out what they were, thought maybe they were termites or something but then realized after a long and disgusting Google search that I had a pantry moth infestation. I read up on all the cleaning tips about getting rid of everything and washing and vacuming the cabinets, but I figured if I was going to do all this work I wanted to make sure I got them all and kept them out, but I didn’t want to use anything chemical.
I found Aunt Norma’s Pantry moth spray online and it really really worked (although you still have to do all the other stuff like throwing out some of the food, etc.) even the moths that I missed won’t go back in the pantry and it’s been over a month (I set out a moth trap for those remaining buggers. The spray is all natural and so it’s safe to use around food and pets so I felt a lot better about drowning my kitchen in it, haha. Here’s what I know: keep at it agressively or you’ll never be rid of these moths!
Check your Rid-X too, if you use it for your septic! After a huge infestation, we couldn’t figure out where they were still coming from – and there they were, in the Rid-X box. We believe our infestation came from bird seed we bought, originally (that’s the first place we found them), then they spread to the kitchen, the Rid-X, AND all of our coats hanging in our coat closet….this is making me itch, writing it! BUT, we got ’em all, after four months of battle….
Hey LCR – you should be fine. I accidentally ate some larvae when I first found the infested peanuts in our house a couple months ago. I read on various web sites that eating them is not harmful. More gross than anything! :p Good luck getting rid of them!
What happens if I just ate a moth or larvae with my cereal? Will I be sick or something? (Don’t wanna be a hypocondriac or whatever the word is!)
Good to hear, Ted! Right, I should have also clarified I’m not in any way affiliated with either OXO or the Container Store. I love those OXO containers too! I went more with glass jars because I’m not a huge fan of putting food in plastic (and glass jars were cheaper), but I did get those 5.5 qt OXO containers for the dry cat food, and that seems to work great.
And very good idea about the peppermint! I should use some and plant some. 🙂
I had a similar experience to Callie’s. I made the mistake of buying too much dog food and that is what started the infestation.
I made a major investment in OXO products. I keep all dog food and treats sealed, and all vulnerable products sealed, such as flour, cereal, oatmeal, tea, pasta. This is a year later, and it has worked well. I started off by essentially getting rid of everything in my pantry that wasn’t canned, spraying heavily with vinegar, using the system of putting vulnerable products in the freezer and then moving them to sealed containers in the pantry.
I am told and believe that often we bring larvae home from the grocery store. Now and then I see a moth flying around, which is probably normal, but the infestation has not returned. If anyone has had an infestation, you know you never want that to happen again.
I do not work for OXO and knew nothing about their products before I had to. I am sure there are other equally good products, but I am a believer in their sealed containers.
And as Callie mentioned, it is nice to see what you have. My kitchen/pantry I am sure is not as pretty as hers, but it is very nice having the transparency. OXO’s lid system is for me a great plus.
I also regularly use a spray of peppermint oil (a few drops of peppermint oil in a spray quart bottle). I also have a peppermint plant and now and then put leaves in the pantry. Smells good and apparently the moths hate it. I also put cedar chips in my closets. Good and inexpensive prevention.
So far from a major infestation a year ago to now, I am moth free.
Ted