Description

Adult

Wingspan of ca. 16 mm. Forewings grey with indistinct darker markings. Labial palps short and curved upwards. Smaller and less marked than Ephestia kuehniella.

Larvae

Length of 13-15 mm. Body a white to pink colour with dark spots at the base of hairs. Rim of abdominal spiracles evenly thickened. Head is reddish-brown.

Eggs

Sandy white when laid and becoming darker with age. The surface is ridged and they measure ca. 0.5 mm long & 0.35 mm wide. Laid singly or in small groups on or near a food source.

Distribution

Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, Oceania and North America.

Economic Host(s)

A wide variety of stored products including tobacco, cocoa, coffee, grain and cereal based products.

Symptoms/Signs

The larvae burrow into the stored product to feed within a silk woven feeding den, which expands as the larvae grows. Webbing, frass and exuviae are signs of infestation.

Generations:

1-3