Indian Meal Moth

Natural Habitat

Worldwide common household pest found in pantries, food storage facilities, and grocery stores where dried food products are stored.

Diet & Feeding

Larvae feed on dried grain products including cereal, flour, cornmeal, crackers, chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, and pet food. Adults do not feed.

Behavior Patterns

Primarily nocturnal and attracted to light. Larvae spin silken webs in food sources as they feed. Life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in 27 to 305 days depending on temperature and food quality.

Risks & Benefits

Significant economic pest causing food spoilage and contamination through silk webbing, frass (excrement), and cast skins. They do not bite or sting and are not known to transmit diseases, but infestation requires disposal of contaminated food.

Identified on: 6/25/2026