Indian meal moth larva, Plodia interpunctella
Indian meal moth larva, Plodia interpunctella © Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States license
This species is considered to be one of the most troublesome of the grain-infesting moths. The larvae are the feeding or ‘pest stage’. They are white or yellow with brown heads and measure around 12mm in length.
The larvae hatch in stored food such as cereal, pasta, beans, seeds and dried fruit, and spin silken threads which web food particles together.
Once a home becomes infested it is hard to eradicate these pests. However, putting infested food in a freezer for 5 days before disposing can be effective alongside control of the adult moths with a moth trap.
