Ephestia kuehniella
Appearance:
The flour moth has a body length of 7-9 mm and a wingspan of 15-20 mm. The forewings are lead gray and have a dark zigzag pattern. The hind wings are somewhat lighter and unicolored.
The larvae are reddish or greenish with a brown head. Their color depends on their food intake. The larvae live in a silk cocoon.
Reproduction:
The development of the flour moth is temperature-dependent. It takes about 152 days at 17°C and about 42 days at 30°C. The flour moth is a silk moth. It lives for about 2 weeks.
Way of life:
The caterpillars of the flour moth eat and contaminate cereal products such as nuts, pulses, baked goods and dried fruit, as well as chocolate and marzipan. However, they are mainly found in flour.
The flour moth is nocturnal.
Once it has penetrated the pantry, all favorite foods are contaminated in no time at all.
