Bug FAQMediterranean Flour Moth
Ephestia kuehniella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Source: Wikipedia
They live in stored grain products, especially flour, and can be found year-round in warm places like mills and bakeries. Control relies on thorough cleaning of storage areas and sealing containers to keep grains from being infested.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have pale gray bodies. Forewings are gray with black zigzag patterns; hindwings are off-white.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from about 1.5 to 2.6 cm.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They also infest other cereal grains besides flour.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Preventing infestation of stored grains is the key control method. Basic sanitation, cleaning bins, floors and walls to remove old grain and dust, is essential.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit stored grain products. Flour is their primary target, but they also infest other cereal grains.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults live only a short time and do not eat.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Sanitation and sealing grain containers are the most effective ways to prevent infestation; pesticides can also be used.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They can breed year-round in warm storage sites such as flour mills and bakeries.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
First recorded from a German flour mill in June 1877. At that time it was thought to have come from North America because the mill processed American wheat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Michigan, Montana, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Arizona, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Mediterranean flour moths eat?
They feed on flour, meal, whole grains and any grain residues they can find.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pyralidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_flour_moth
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.