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Indian Meal Moth / Moljac
Plodia interpunctella
45.8132, 15.977
Field Notes
Description:
Adults are 8–10 mm in length with 16–20 mm wingspans. The outer half of their forewings are bronze, copper, or dark gray in color, while the upper half are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the intersection between the two. The moth larvae are off-white with brown heads. When these larvae mature, they are usually about 12 mm long.
Its larvae (caterpillars) are commonly known as "waxworms" like those of its relatives, though they are not the particular waxworms often bred as animal food. They are a common grain-feeding pest found around the world, feeding on cereals and similar products.
Notes:
Flying adults moths are signs of an infestation. The adults do not feed, just live to mate and lay between 50-400 eggs in available dried foods. Larvae go through five instars and grow to about 1 cm long. Mature larvae often travel quite a distance to find an appropriate pupation spot, generally away from their food source (pupae and cocoons are often found under cabinets or on ceilings).
They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of. Last instar larvae are able to travel significant distances before they pupate. When seeking the source of an infestation, the search thus cannot be limited to the immediate area where pupae are discovered.
None of the stages of the organism (eggs, larvae, adults) is very temperature-tolerant and all can be killed by a week of freezing or by brief heating in a microwave or conventional oven when such treatment is practical
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