Bug FAQReddish Ephestiodes Moth
Ephestiodes infimella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
The reddish Ephestiodes moth has a wingspan of about 11 mm. It lives in the eastern United States and southern Ontario, extending west to Texas. Adults are seen flying from June through September in places like Maryland.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Ephestiodes infimella belongs to the Pyralidae family and was first described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 11 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from June to September in Maryland.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, especially the eastern U.S. and southern Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Alabama, New York, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult reddish Ephestiodes moths active?
Adults fly from June through September, at least in Maryland.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pyralidae)
Indian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your home
Greater Wax MothGalleria mellonella
Mediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your home
Meal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerous
Yellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephestiodes_infimella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.