Indian Meal Moth

Indian meal moths are commonly found in kitchens and pantries, since they tend to feed on grain and cereal products. There are different life cycles of Indian Meal Moths: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae may dig through bags of rice and seed. Adult Meal Moths have a gray top with a gold-rusty brown near its lower body. Indian Meal Moths have a short lifespan of 5-7 days, and females lay around 350-500 eggs. Manufacturers may inspect the dry food, but sometimes they may not detect Indian meal moths. Thus, an infestation may occur in the house. There are also cases where they have crawled into dry food at the store. The first step is to find its food source, which usually means looking in the cupboard or where food is typically thinly covered. It is important to check to see if there are any larvae and pupae in cracks of the cupboard or walls. Then seal the food tightly to prevent future infestations.