Ephestia kuehniella

SPECIES: Ephestia kuehniella ( order Lepidoptera )

COMMON NAME: Mediterranean flour moth

SIZE: the adult's wingspan is 20-25 mm; the larva is 8-9 mm long

LIFECYCLE: The female lays 100 to 400 eggs, each individually attached to the substrate by means of a viscous substance. Incubation lasts 3-8 days depending on the temperature. The newly hatched larvae, with a pink or white body and darker head, immediately searches for food, digging tunnels into it of more or less irregular shape. The species overwinters as a larva in a silk cap-shaped case. The silk production increases as it grows. Depending on the temperature conditions, 1-5 generations are produced per year. Maturity is reached by the larva in 3-4 weeks; the adult butterfly appears occurs after 1-2 weeks in a chrysalis.

FEATURES: ash grey forewings, rear white-grey.

HABITAT: present in food chains in the rooms, machinery, and pipes of flour and semolina production sites.

DIET: flour, but also biscuits, dry bread, nuts etc.

DAMAGE: The larva, which is able to pierce cardboard and plastic film packaging of foodstuffs.

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