Indian Meal Moth (Plodia Interpunctella)

The Indian Meal Moth has distinctive dual coloured wings which are light at the front and dark at the rear. They are often found in domestic kitchens (where dried foods are stored), and also in commercial premises that use and/or store dried food products. An Indian Meal Moth infestation is notoriously hard to get rid of as moths lay eggs in small cracks and crevices, as well as in food items.

Recommended moth treatment programme for Indian Meal Moths

1. Check all dried food packets to find the source of the Indian Meal Moth infestation. Look for visible damage to packets and webbing throughout the food. Indian Meal Moths will gather in windows but eggs and larvae might be present in packaging which has been opened and not sealed correctly, or even in packaging which has not been opened but has been damaged by the Indian Meal Moth.
2. An essential part of moth treatment is to destroy all contaminated food to prevent the moth infestation from spreading to other foods. Thoroughly clean and vacuum shelving, cupboards, surfaces and flooring to get rid of small pieces of food.  You may not want to bring in any new foods in until all of the food sources containing eggs, larvae and moths have been destroyed.
3. Wherever possible place all dried foods in sealed containers during moth treatment. These should be airtight with lids; Indian Meal Moths can find their way through extremely small gaps.
4. Where an extended moth infestation has developed with numerous webbing/nests found throughout shelving and ceilings, thorough cleaning is required to remove these nests. During moth treatment it is difficult to remove all the eggs (if they are in cracks and crevices) and so it may be necessary to spray with an insecticide to fully destroy their lifecycle.

Moth Treatment

For domestic premises with a Indian Meal moth infestation in Essex, Herts and London, we offer a free survey to inspect the level of the problem before we finalise a price.

We offer an integrated pest management service for commercial pest control in Essex, Herts and London.

For more information on moth treatment of a moth infestation call 01462 834466.