Indianmeal Moth

Indian meal moth ( Plodia interpunctella )

The Indian meal moth ( Plodia interpunctella ), also called stock or house moth moth is a butterfly of the family of European corn borer ( Pyralidae ). The species is a common stored product pest.

Features

The Indian meal moth has a wingspan of 13-20 mm and a body length of 4 to 10 millimeters. The basal part of the forewing is light gray to grayish yellow, the remaining part is brighter or darker coppery colored.

The overall development takes at 30 ° C. for about 30 days at 20 ° C up to about 74 days. The adult moth lives about 10 to 14 days and takes up no more food on.

Way of life

From the up to 300 eggs (diameter <0.5 mm) hatch after 3-4 days greatly different colored caterpillars shed their skin as they evolve 3-5 times and up to 17 millimeters in length can reach. The larvae like to sit in web tubes and pupate after some time in hiding outside the food stock. The development of the moth takes 32 to 38 days at optimum conditions. The dried fruit moths are sensitive to cold, but can get several generations of offspring per year under good conditions. The moth lives up to two weeks. Eat, tense and contaminate grain products, nuts, legumes, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, pasta, tea, spices, dried fruit and in exceptional cases also fresh fruit The caterpillars of the Indian meal moth.

Combat

To combat pheromone traps and parasitic wasps are used. Infested food should be disposed of, food supplies should be packed, such as glass or thick plastic containers. In film originally packed noodles, chocolate, etc. are not adequately protected.

Documents

• František Slamka: The Zünslerfalter ( Pyraloidea ) of Central Europe: Determine - Distribution - Flying Area - lifestyle of the caterpillars. 2 partially revised edition, Bratislava 1997, ISBN 80-967540-2-5
• Thomas Kaltenbach, Peter Victor Küppers: Small butterflies. Publisher J. Neudamm - Neudamm, Melsungen, 1987, ISBN 3-7888-0510-2