Meal Moths

What Do Indian Meal Moths Look Like?

Adult Indian meal moths have wings and are capable of flight, the color pattern found on their wings makes this species fairly easy to identify. In the middle of the wing, you will find a dark band of color, the rear half of the wing is reddish-brown or bronze in color, while the front half of the wing is a more yellowish-gray color. Adults grow to between 1/2 and 5/8th of an inch in length. Indian meal moth larvae grow to about 1/2 of an inch, their bodies can vary in color: off-white, brown, greenish, or pinkish in color; their head and thorax are yellowish-brown color.

Are Indian Meal Moths Dangerous?

Indian meal moths are not considered to be a dangerous pest; they do not bite or sting and aren’t known for causing serious health risks to people. But, it is important to note that Indian meal moths begin their life cycle as an egg, the female will lay her eggs directly on or inside of packaged food. Once the larvae hatch they begin to feed on the food it was laid in, contaminating it. An Indian meal moth infestation inside any home should be taken seriously so that the contamination of your family’s food sources can be minimized.

Where Am I Likely To Find Indian Meal Moths?

Adult Indian meal moths are attracted to light and during the night can be found gathering around outdoor light fixtures on porches and decks. They then often enter into homes and other buildings through gaps found around exterior windows and doors. Once inside, the adults will lay their eggs in dry food sources found in kitchen and pantry areas. Indian meal moths also often find their way inside of homes when products purchased from a grocery store are already infested with their larvae. In addition, Indian meal moths can become a huge problem inside of food processing and storage facilities. Their larvae love to feed on dry goods like dried fruits, grains, seeds, granola, crackers, nuts, chocolate, candies, birdseed, dry pet food, flour, powdered milk, dried peppers, and chocolate.

Does Modern Offer Indian Meal Moth Control?

At Modern Pest Control, we provide pest control solutions for homes and businesses that include treatment for Indian meal moths. When you contact our company for your Indian meal moth problem, we will start with a thorough inspection to determine where Indian meal moths are living on your property; our professionals will then design a layout customized for your property to control Indian meal moth populations. Contact Modern Pest Control today for more information about the control solutions we provide in the Greater Houston area. 

How Can I Prevent Indian Meal Moth Infestations?

Preventing Indian meal moth infestations can be a difficult job. Listed below are a few tips on how to discourage Indian meal moths from choosing your property to live on and to keep them from migrating into your home.

• Place door sweeps underneath of all exterior doors, especially basement doors. Caulk gaps found around all exterior doors.
• Make sure that screens found in windows and doors are completely intact.
• Switch white light bulbs found in outdoor light fixtures with yellow outdoor lights or LED lights which are less attractive to insects.
• Inspect dry goods before purchasing them from the store, do not purchase items that have rips or tears in the packing.
• Dry goods in your kitchen and pantry areas should be stored in glass or plastic containers with air-tight lids instead of in their original packaging.