Indian meal moth / Plodia interpunctella

Indian meal moths are very common in warehouses with flour, grain and all kinds of food products: dried fruits, spices, raisins, sweets, etc. However, it prefers flour, especially corn flour.

A few hours after mating, the female begins to lay eggs. The female lives for about 10 days and during this time lays from 100 to 400 eggs. The larvae hatch in 4-5 days.

In the grain mound, the moth settle in the upper layer, intertwining it with cobwebs to a depth of 10 cm, and in winter they can go deeper up to 1.5-2 meters.

Under favorable conditions, the development of one generation lasts 4-5 weeks: up to 5 generations develop in a year.

One generation on average develops at a temperature of 20 ° C - 62 days, at a temperature of 25 ° C - 33 days, at a temperature of 30 ° C - 30 days.

The moth damages flour, especially corn, grain, wheat, rye, rice, corn and products of their processing, dried fruits, vegetables, prefers spices, raisins, chocolate, peanuts, various nuts, medicinal raw materials, herbaria, dry yeast.

The moth damages a wide variety of food supplies in storage facilities, food outlets, shops and homes.