Indian Meal Moth Larva (Pantry Moth Larva)

Natural Habitat

Typically found indoors in kitchens, pantries, and food storage areas. They thrive in darkness or low-light environments, usually hiding within the food products they infest or in nearby cracks and crevices.

Diet & Feeding

The larvae feed on dry stored food products including grains, cereals, flour, pasta, rice, nuts, dried fruits, birdseed, and dry pet food. They are capable of chewing through thin plastic and cardboard packaging.

Behavior Patterns

Larvae are known for spinning silken webbing over the food surface as they feed (clearly seen in the provided image). When ready to pupate, they often crawl away from the food source, moving up walls or across ceilings to find isolated crevices, spinning a cocoon to transform into an adult moth.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: Major household pest; they contaminate food with their feces, webbing, and cast skins, rendering it inedible. While they do not bite or sting and are not known to transmit diseases to humans, the infestation leads to significant food waste. Benefits: None in a domestic setting; ecologically, they are decomposers but are mainly viewed as nuisance pests.

Identified on: 2/7/2026