flour moth

flour moth, (Ephestia kuehniella), species of moth in the subfamily Phycitinae (family Pyralidae, order Lepidoptera) that is a cosmopolitan pest of cereal products and other stored foods. Sometimes also called Anagasta kuehniella, the flour moth requires vitamins A and B and the larvae cannot live on pure starch. Larvae spin a web in flour, grain, or seeds, causing problems in milling or sorting. After the small, white maggotlike larvae grow to a length of nearly 2 cm (0.7 inch), they crawl into a crevice to pupate. Because they do not disperse, infestations tend to persist in contaminated warehouses. The adult moths have gray mottled forewings, with a span of about 3 cm (1.2 inches), and pale hind wings. The moths shun light and fly in brief zigzags. Each female flour moth lays 200 to 500 eggs, producing as many as four generations per year, or more in warmer environments.