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brown flying striped( Indian meal moth)

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Found the Source :-)
by: Kathy

Yesterday while taking down laundry downstairs, noticed a few of them flying around. Stored bird food in the cupboards in laundry room appear to be the source. All the food was in tupperware type containers...but we saw some in larva stage crawling on the outside of containers and cob webs inside. I am a happy camper now...hope that will be the end of them.
Indian meal moth
by: Moni

Kathy
Good luck finding the source...just think protein and carbs :-)
Brown Flying Striped
by: Kathy

Thanks for identifying the bug.

Wish me luck in finding the source.
Indian meal moth
by: Moni

Kathy
Your insect is an Indian meal moth. What look like pinchers are just part of the head of this moth.
Here are photos from bugguide.net -
http://bugguide.net/node/view/16481/bgimage?from=24

Indian meal moths are known for infesting all cereal food products and whole grains, with the larvae feeding on these as well as a wide variety of foods such as dried fruits, powdered milk, cornmeal, flour, raisins, prunes, nuts, chocolate, candies, health food and seeds, bird seed, dog and cat food, fish food, graham crackers, dried red peppers, pastas, etc. Therefore, you must have some kind of pet food or other dry food in the garage they are living in. Find that source and destroy it then you will not have more moths.
Please be careful or they will get in the house and into your pantry of dry foods!
They are a constant problem in warehouses that store not only the raw grain, but the processed products. So, you are constantly bringing them home from the grocery. Many times there are eggs of this moth in the cracks of the cartons of cereals, pet food bags, pastas, and all those types of products.

If you find an infestation, you can put the package in the freezer (0 degrees F) for a few days to kill off all the insects. Or for heat treatment put it in a microwave oven for five minutes or in a shallow pan in the oven at 140°F for one hour or 120°F for two hours.
A thorough cleaning of the cupboards on a regular schedule, especially the cracks and crevices with a vacuum followed with soapy water will keep the population down.

The life cycle depends on temperature, taking two to six months in temperate zones and three to four weeks in warm climates. Here in the north where we have freezing temps, some of the critters are killed in storage.


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