The Angoumois grain moth is second
only to the rice and granary weevils in its importance as a
pest of stored grain in the United States. It attacks grains
maturing in the field as well as in storage. Infested grain
in storage has a sickening taste and smell that make it unpalatable.
Only whole grain is attacked, so other grain products are safe
(Linsley and Michelbacher, 1943). Angoumois grain moths can
infest the ripening maize on the fields and are thus carried
into the storerooms. The larva lives inside the grain kernel
and is therefore difficult to spot (so-called "inner infestation").Besides
grain they also infest pulses and seeds.
Description: The adults are small, buff to grayish or yellowish-brown
moths, with a wingspread of 13 to 17 mm. The size of the adult
depends on how much food the larva has consumed. The hindwings
narrow down to a point apically, and are heavily margined with
long hairs.
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