Indianmeal Moth
Pantry moths that infest dry goods, pet food and birdseed — larvae spin webs inside packaging.
Photo: no rights reserved (CC0) · public domain/CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Adult moths are about 10 mm wingspan, with a distinctive two-tone wing pattern: tan on the inner half, coppery-reddish on the outer half. Larvae are cream-colored caterpillars up to 15 mm with a brown head, found inside infested food packages.
Any dry stored product: flour, cornmeal, oats, rice, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, spices, birdseed and pet food. A single infested bag brought home from the store is typically the introduction point.
- Small moths flying in a zigzag pattern near the pantry, cupboards or pet food area
- Webbing, silken threads or cocoons inside opened bags of flour, grain, cereal or pet food
- Cream-colored caterpillars in dry food products or stuck to pantry shelves
- Clumped, webbed masses inside grain products
Indianmeal moths contaminate pantry items with frass, webbing and shed skins. They can spread through an entire pantry from a single infested product, and larvae chew through thin packaging to infest new products. Health risk is low but food loss can be significant.
Rhino identifies and removes all infested products, treats cracks and crevice harborage in the pantry, and uses pheromone monitoring traps to confirm the infestation is clear. Proper container sealing prevents recurrence.
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