Bug FAQWhite-shouldered House Moth
Endrosis sarcitrella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Oecophoridae
Also called: White-shouldered Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The white-shouldered house moth lives inside buildings and bird nests and is active year-round. It feeds on dried fruits, cereals, flour, potatoes, rotting wood, wool, old textiles and even guano, and it often gathers around lights and stored grain.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is a gelechioid moth in the family Oecophoridae.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It occurs regularly inside homes, is attracted to light, and is common in outbuildings where dried grain is stored.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found regularly inside buildings and also in bird nests.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its diet includes dried fruits, cereals (bran and flour), other seeds, potatoes, rotting wood, wool, old textiles and guano.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species is continuously brooded, so adults can appear at any time of year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Because it is continuously brooded, it can be found throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the same subfamily (Oecophorinae) as the brown house moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Does the white-shouldered house moth damage food or clothing?
Yes, it feeds on stored grains, dried fruits and cereals and can also chew wool and old textiles.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see these moths in my house?
They are continuously brooded, so adults may be present at any time of year.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Oecophoridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-shouldered_house_moth
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.