Indianmeal moth is commonly found throughout the USA and worldwide infesting stored products in the home, grocery stores, warehouses, food-processing plants and where food products are stored.
Description Adults are about 3/8 - 5/8 inch long; the outer half of the wing is reddish-brown colored; whereas, the inner half of the wing is grayish-white colored (Fig. 1). Adults are capable to fly and dispraise throughout a large spatial scale within buildings or enter from outdoor areas. The larvae are creamy in color, with yellowish-green or pinkish shades, and a dark brown head (Fig.2).Pupae are reddish-brown and about 3/8-inch long. Eggs are small and grayish to dirty white in color.
Importance Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Höbner) is a serious pest of stored food products. Larvae are the damaging stage that feed on a wide variety of food products such as grains, seeds, dried fruits, pet foods, spices and ornamental products. They also contaminate food products by spinning silk threads that web food particles together, as well as accumulate fecal, cast skins and eggshells on food products. Larvae are capable of chewing through thin plastic bags and thin cardboards. Larvae are surface feeders but in small, loose food packages, they may occur throughout the product.
Management
Prevention
Avoid purchasing old food items and always use older food first
Store foods in insect-proof containers with tight-fitting lids and keep highly susceptible foods, such as spices in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
Regularly inspect and immediately vacuum all spilled foods materials
Clean shelves with soap and hot water, allow to dry and cover with clean, fresh paper or foil before placing any food or cooking utensils.
Non-Chemical Methods
Heat or cold treatments: Place infested foods in a freezer at 0°F for four to seven days or heat at 140°F for one hour or 120°F for two hours. To avoid damaging certain items, check the product’s label before any heat/cold treatments, i.e., seeds saved for planting may have the germination reduced after superheating or cooling.
Physical Removal of the Indianmeal Moth Life Stages
Remove Cocoons: Cocoons could be found on the food surface and bin walls, but usually the fully mature larvae leave food sources and spin cocoons in cracks, crevices, where the wall and ceiling meet, top of the cupboard etc”
Remove Eggs and Feeding Larvae: All infested materials should be double-bagged, firmly sealed and discarded outside the building.
Capture the flying Adults: Install insect light traps to capture the flying adults “adults fly at dusk and through the night and attracted to light”. Pheromone traps are also commercially available to capture the flying males on sticky boards. “Traps alone are “monitoring tools” for early detecting, monitoring and pinpointing the hot spots of infestations. They are not a control method but they can help in reducing a number of few flying adults”
Chemical Methods
Before treatment, discard all infested products outside the building and remove food, water and clothing materials from areas to be treated.
Apply a space treatment with an EPA approved non-residual insecticide to knock down the adult populations in warehouse and food processing facilities.
Target feeding, breeding and harborage areas using EPA approved residual insecticides as crack, crevice and spot treatments.
Apply a spot treatment to surfaces near food storage areas, in and around cabinets, under and behind machineries, appliances and furniture; remove shelf papers, and treat where food IS NOT present.
If applicable, apply a perimeter treatment to prevent flying adults coming from outdoors.
Precautionary Measures
During the treatment, no people, food, or pets should be present in the room to be treated. Fish tanks should be covered and the air shut off. Plants will not be affected.
Do not enter the treated room or use before applied pesticides are dried.
Anyone with a respiratory condition should notify property manager and the Guardian Pest Control Service Specialist
Post Treatment Information
Follow up evaluation is necessary 7-10 days after the treatment.
Follow prevention methods and keep monitoring to minimize the periodic space treatments
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