Dried-fruit-pest
Guides
Cadra
Cadra is a genus of small moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The genus is characterized by reduced forewing venation with veins 4, 7, and 9 absent, resulting in nine forewing veins total. Several species are significant stored product pests, particularly of dry plant materials including seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. The genus is closely related to Ephestia, and species are sometimes assigned interchangeably between the two genera in non-entomological literature.
Cadra cautella
Almond moth, Tropical warehouse moth
Cadra cautella, commonly known as the almond moth or tropical warehouse moth, is a small stored-product pest in the family Pyralidae. It infests flour, bran, oats, and other grains, as well as dried fruits. The species is frequently confused with the Indian mealmoth (Plodia interpunctella) and Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella). Males exhibit specialized flight behavior in response to female sex pheromone plumes, maintaining upwind flight even at high pulse frequencies.
Cadra figulilella
raisin moth
Cadra figulilella, the raisin moth, is a globally distributed pest of dried and ripening fruits in the family Pyralidae. First identified as a pest of Muscat raisins in California in 1928, it has since spread to tropical and Mediterranean climates worldwide. The species is economically significant due to larval damage to dates, raisins, figs, and other fruits both on the tree and in storage. Adults are short-lived and nocturnal, with females laying an average of 160 eggs that hatch into larvae capable of causing up to 90% fruit infestation in severe cases.