Indian Meal Moth

Natural Habitat

Typically found indoors in kitchens, pantries, and food storage areas. In nature, they infest seeds, nuts, and dried plant matter.

Diet & Feeding

Larvae feed on stored grain products, dried fruits, flour, cornmeal, cereal, nuts, birdseed, and sometimes dry pet food. Adults do not eat.

Behavior Patterns

Nocturnal and attracted to light. Adults fly in an erratic, zigzag pattern. The larvae spin silken webs over food sources as they feed, which is a key sign of infestation.

Risks & Benefits

Major pantry pest. They contaminate food with their larvae, webbing, and feces, making it unfit for consumption. They pose no direct physical threat (biting/stinging) to humans or pets but cause significant economic loss through food spoilage.

Identified on: 2/19/2026