Description

Adult

Wingspan of 9-18 mm and body length of ca. 7mm. Forewing white with a basal black bar and mottled with brownish, black and grey patches. Hindwings are uniformly greyish-brown and surrounded by a fringe of long hairs. Head is covered with yellowish-white spiky scales

Larvae

Final instars reach a length of 7-10 mm. Body white with a pale yellow to dark brown head. Prothoracic plate is yellowish to pale brown

Eggs

Laid singly or in small batches directly onto a food source

Distribution

Europe, North America, Argentina, northern Asia and Australia.

Economic Host(s)

A wide variety of cereal based products including wheat oats and barley and nuts, seeds and dried fruit

Symptoms/Signs

Larvae typically infest the top 5-6cm of grain, feeding initially on the germ and then the endosperm. Signs include clumped grain with silk and frass and pupal cases. Infestations can result in a noxious odour

Generations:

2 or more (climate dependant)