Question of the Week - Meal Moths
Q. I have small moths flying around my kitchen. What are they?
A. The moths are probably Indian meal moths, a common kitchen insect pest. The adult moth has a wingspan of about ¼ inch; the forewings are banded whitish gray and copper. The eggs or larvae (they look like small white worms or caterpillars) of these moths probably entered your house on birdseed, grains, beans, flour or pet foods.
The first signs you have a problem are often a few adult moths or the presence of larvae and webbing in your stored food products. The first step to managing meal moths is to discard all infested products and then scrub the cupboards. Before you buy new products use a vacuum cleaner to get behind appliances, under sinks, in cupboardd and crevices. This is a lot of work, but will help reduce the food supply and eliminate future egg laying sites.
Store all dry food products in sealed glass, metal, or hard plastic containers. Meal moth larvae can chew through paper, plastic bags and paperboard containers. Practice good sanitation. When something spills, make sure you clean it up, every single time. The moth’s life cycle is six to eight weeks. It can take several life cycles to completely rid your kitchen of a meal moth infestation.
The process will work if you put all new stored foods in hard containers, and if you check regularly for new infestations. If you don’t, you may have a low level infestation for several years.
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