How to Identify Meal Moths

The meal moth is considered the most troublesome of the grain-infesting moths. It usually enters homes in boxes or bags of food. This moth will infest grains, cereals, pet foods, flour, corn meal and bird seed. A meal moth sighting is a great excuse to eat out!

Instructions

1. Look for a feathered, winged insect that looks like a cockroach.

2. Check out the wings. The meal moth's wings are folded back; the outer 1/3 of the wing appears reddish brown colored at the wing tips, while the inner 2/3 of the wing is light gray to yellow.

3. Size up the insect. The meal moth can be up to 5/8-inch long.

4. Determine the color of the wings. The meal moth resembles the fabric moth except for the wing coloring.

Tips & Warnings

• Eggs hatch in 2 to 14 days, with larvae looking like tiny whitish caterpillars.

• Adult meal moths tend to rest quietly on walls and ceilings and avoid light.

• The meal moth becomes active in low-light conditions or after dusk.

• This moth is a weak flier.

• The meal moth lays between 60 and 300 eggs on or near food sources.

• Meal moths construct webbing cases or tunnels throughout infested foods, usually rendering it unusable.

• Damage is caused by the larvae spinning silken threads as they crawl and feed, which fuses food particles together and ruins them.