Photo Album: Indian Meal Moths Love Cereal in Long Branch, NJ

As I was servicing one of our regular customers home in Long Branch, NJ I noticed some type of pest crawling in the corner of his kitchen ceiling.

This Was a

I took a closer look and realized that this was the larvae of an Indian meal moth.

What are Indian Meal Moths

Indian Meal Moths, also called pantry pests or stored product pests, are probably the most common pantry pest found in kitchens and pantries. One moth can lay between 100-400 eggs over the course of two weeks and they only live for 5-7 days.

Checked the Pantry

Now, when Indian meal moths make their way into homes, they set up shop in kitchen cupboards and pantries (where the food is stored). Their diet primarily consists of any items containing grain or cereal products. Knowing this, I decided to checkout the pantry.

Infested

Sure enough, I found a massive infestation of Indian meal moths inside all of the cereal boxes.

Want a Bowl

Every single cereal box contained Indian meal moths, their larvae, and their feces.

This is Their New Home

Adult females like to lay their eggs inside the dried food packages within the food itself. Due to the severe infestation, I had to remove and discard every item inside the pantry.

This Can Get Pricey

Indian meal moths are responsible for most of the insect problems associated with the natural food industry. They are usually transported into a home from food purchased at the grocery store.

Removing The Harboring Areas

By removing the contaminated food, we're also removing the harboring areas for the Indian meal moths. Once everything was discarded, I sanitized the area and applied a liquid residual application that'll eliminate any remaining Indian meal moths.