This moth originally came from
India. It was first found in Europe in about 1877 in some American
wheat. Nowadays there are few concerns dealing with flour and
cereals which do not suffer from time to time from the depredations
of this moth. It may also become a concern in households, though
these days this is less likely. Another picture below shows
the larvae which does all the damage.
A major pest of flour mills, its main habitats are flour and
grout mills, corn milling plants, bakeries and any other place
used for processing grains or preparing flour products. E.
kuehniella occurs in most of the temperate and sub-tropical
parts of the world, where average temperatures are around 20°C
- 25°C. Complete development requires about 74 days at 25°C
and 75% relative humidity. Larvae entwine all the material
on which they feed resulting in solid lumps of food particles,
faeces and larval exuviae. Adults are similar to E. cautella
but the body is relatively longer.
This insect is found world-wide. Depending on temperature
and humidity, a single female may lay up to 562 eggs. Optimum
temperature is 26? C. At 27? C temperature, timing for development
of a generation varies from 43 to 72 days, and from 140 to
243 days at 10? C. It can only develop up to 35? C.
Life cycle takes three to four months, under adequate conditions
of temperature and air humidity (70%).
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