The meal moth's Latin name farinalis means "of the flour" since this moth loves to feed on stored grains. In China, it is a popular ingredient for insect tea, and there is research underway to commercialize the moths for this culinary use. The meal moth can be particularly pesky where food is stored because they can produce four new generations per year.
General Info About Meal moth
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Attributes of Meal moth
Colors
Brown
Black
White
Habitat
plant debris; poultry manure
Adult Food Sources
Nectar, honeydew
Larva Food Source
Dried plant material, grain products, flour, meal, dead insects
Non-poisonous
The Meal moth is non-toxic and generally doesn't pose a risk to human health. No need for excessive worry.
Borer
Not reported
Pollinator
Not reported
Pest-Eating Predatory
Not reported
Phytophagous
The Meal moth feeds on plants, usually without causing significant harm. However, it's important to take the situation seriously if their numbers begin to increase significantly.
Predatory
Not reported
Biting animal or pet
Not reported
Mouthparts Type
Siphoning mouthparts
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Appearance of Meal moth
Their upperwings are fairly colourful by moth standards, and have a wingspan of 1.8 - 3 cm. The eggs of Pyralis farinalis are ellipsoid in shape and very wrinkled with creases running lengthwise along the egg.
Egg In this initial phase, meal moth eggs are usually laid in clusters. They are extremely small and vary in shape and color, often matching the host plant for camouflage.
Larva Upon hatching, meal moth larvae, commonly called caterpillars, exhibit rapid growth and molting. They are elongated with a chewing mouthpart for feeding primarily on foliage.
Pupal The meal moth enters the pupa stage encased in a cocoon. During this stage, it undergoes a significant transformation, becoming immobile and reorganizing its structure internally.
Adult Emerging from the pupa, the adult meal moth is characterized by developed wings and reproductive organs. The body is patterned, hardened, and the adult is capable of flight, focused on mating.
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How Can You Attract Meal moth
Phototaxis to artificial lights, pheromone traps for adults, and bait using materials they consume or lay eggs in.
Habitat Preferences of Meal moth Through Different Life Stages
The eggs of meal moth are typically laid on grains or other foodstuff found in storage facilities. Larvae, on the other hand, can be found in silken tubes they create amongst the food material they infest, like flour or meal. If searching for these larvae, one should sift through stored grains, pantry items, and any place where dry food is kept. Pupation often occurs within the larval feeding area. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to light, so to find them, a search at night near light sources in or around storage areas, mills, or warehouses would be fruitful.
When is the Best Time to Observe Meal moth
Night time for adults due to their nocturnal nature, various times for larvae depending on feeding periods.
What is the Best Weather to Observe Meal moth
Warm, humid environments without extreme winds or rain, as these conditions are favorable for meal moth's activity and survival.
How and Where Can You Find Meal moth at Different Life Stages
Egg Meal moth eggs are often laid in clusters on suitable food sources such as grains or meal. Search for tiny, pearl-like eggs in pantries, storerooms, or where grains are stored.
Larva Meal moth larvae are typically found feeding on grains, flours, or similar materials. Look for them within food packages, silos, or milling equipment.
Pupal Meal moth pupae are usually located in loose webbing or cocoons close to their feeding sites. Check cracks, crevices, or in between packaged goods for these structures.
Adult Meal moth adults are attracted to light sources at night. Use a light trap outdoors near potential feeding or breeding areas to observe or collect adults.
Are Meal moth harmful?
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Meal moths consume stored foods.
Where do Meal moth come from?
Attracted by food sources. Storage grains are highly attractive to meal moth.
High humidity. High humidity in the food-storage space is attractive to meal moth.
Entering indoor spaces passively. When people bring home flours or other cereal products, they bring the hidden meal moth home at the same time.
What is the most effective prevention against Meal moth?
Look for the traces of meal moth activities. Check the solid food's packaging for suspicious bores. These bores are traces to indicate there might be meal moth or other pests in the storage space.
Check the purchased solid food. Check the food packaging. Avoid purchasing products in compromised packaging or anything in packages with silks, webs, or cocoons on them.
Seal all the solid food. Keep all the dried food in sealed containers to prevent storage pests from outside from entering and infesting the food. It can also confine those pests that are already in the food inside the container and stop them from spreading further.
Keep the food and the pantry dry. High humidity is crucial for storage pests, which breed much more seriously under a humid condition compared to a dry setting. Moist food also emits a smell that's highly seductive to pests.
How to get rid of Meal moth?
Dispose of the pest-infested food. When meal moth larvae are found in a bag of solid food, dispose of the entire bag immediately to prevent contaminating other food. Meanwhile, inspect every corner of the food pantry (or cabinets) carefully. Because the mouthparts of meal moth larva can bite through paper and plastics effortlessly, regular packaging bags can hardly protect food from its infestation.
Put questionable food in the refrigerator. If it's hard to determine whether the food is infested, just freeze the food for a week and the potential larvae in the food will be frozen to death.
Deep cleaning. Wipe clean the kitchen cabinets with soapy water, especially the corners and seams. Keep food in clean containers.
Use pesticides. When a meal moth pest gets serious, applying general pesticides can effectively kill them. However, those food ingredients contaminated by the pesticide are no longer edible.
Set up pheromone traps. Purchase pheromone baits for meal moth from stores and place them in the center of the glue traps, then place the whole piece in the meal moth-infested area. The adult meal moth will be lured by the pheromone to the glue pads and get trapped. Unable to mate and lay eggs, they and their children are then no longer able to infest the rest of the food.
Harmful Effects of Meal moth
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Stored Produce Pest
The adult and larval stages of meal moth can inflict mild to severe damage on stored products. Adults lay eggs on dry goods, and emerging larvae feed, contaminating the items with webbing and faeces. This leads to financial loss and can be a health risk if infested food is inadvertently consumed.