Indian meal moth

Definition

A small pyralid moth (Plodia interpunctella) whose larvae infest stored dried foods, particularly grains, flour, nuts, dried fruit, and birdseed; the most common pantry pest in North American households. Adults are distinguished by the outer two-thirds of each forewing being reddish-brown to coppery, contrasting sharply with the pale gray or whitish basal third. Despite the name, the species is not native to India; the epithet derives from 'Indian meal' (maize meal in colonial American usage), an early-recorded host.

Etymology

From 'Indian meal' (colonial term for maize/corn meal) + 'moth', referring to the first documented North American host rather than geographic origin

Example

A single female Indian meal moth can lay 200–400 eggs on stored grain; the larvae spin silken threads that mat together food particles and frass, producing the characteristic webbing that alerts homeowners to an infestation.

Synonyms

• Indianmeal moth
• Indian-meal moth
• pantry moth
• flour moth
• grain moth
• weevil moth

Related Terms

• Plodia interpunctella
• stored-product pest
• pantry pest
• Mediterranean flour moth
• almond moth
• raisin moth
• larval webbing
• pheromone trap

Usage Notes

The hyphenated and unhyphenated spellings are both widely used; 'Indianmeal moth' predominates in North American pest-management literature. Easily confused with the Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella), which has uniformly gray forewings without the sharp color contrast, and with the almond moth (Cadra cautella), which has more mottled, less distinctly bicolored wings. The name is frequently misinterpreted as indicating Indian origin; specialists emphasize that this is a New World pest species now cosmopolitan through human commerce.