FLOUR MOTH

also called Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia, or Anagasta, kuehniella), species of insect belonging to the family Phycitidae (order Lepidoptera), a cosmopolitan pest of cereal products and other stored foods. Because they require vitamins A and B, the larvae cannot live on pure starch. They spin a web in flour, grain, or seeds, causing problems in milling or sorting. After the small, white maggotlike larvae grow to a length of nearly 2 cm (0.7 inch), they crawl into a crevice to pupate; infestations therefore tend to persist in contaminated warehouses. The adult moths have gray mottled forewings, with a span of about 3 cm (1.2 inches), and pale hind wings. They shun light and fly in brief zigzags. Each female flour moth lays 200 to 500 eggs, producing as many as four generations per year, or more in warmer environments.