How to Identify Pantry Moths
Pantry months, such as Indianmeal and Flour Moths, live in dry cool places including kitchen cabinets and food storage areas. These moths feed on grains and flour and may live for up to 300 days. The life stages of pantry moths include egg, larvae, pupa and adulthood. If you notice an increase of moths in your kitchen or pantry areas, you may have a pantry moth infestation. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Look in the back of kitchen cabinets or pantry shelves to find pantry moth larvae. Look for white silk-like webs and threads in corners or around food containers and boxes as larvae continually spin webs as they grow.
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Use a magnifying glass to inspect the larvae. Adult larvae are about 1/2-inch long and appear green or pink in color.
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Count the number of legs on the larvae. Moth larvae have three pairs of legs and may have additional legs or shorter stumps on their abdomens.
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Catch an adult pantry moth if possible. Distinguishing characteristics include a white or gray body and reddish-brown wings that fade into a copper color at the tips.
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Tips & Warnings
Inspect and remove expired food items such as cereal, flour, cornmeal, corn starch and other dry ingredients every few months to prevent pantry moth infestation.
For extreme infestation, you may need to contact a pest exterminator as removing food and cleaning kitchen and pantry areas frequently may not be enough to stop reinfestation.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit kitchen doors image by willem169 from Fotolia.com
