As well as the Brown House moth, Common Clothes moth and White Shouldered Moth, the Indian, Mill and Tropical Warehouse moths do pose a pest problem in the UK industries.

Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella

With a 10-15mm wingspan and pale yellow/bronze colour in appearance the Indian meal moth causes significant problems with stored foods, especially dried fruits and nuts. Most problems are caused by the larvae which feed on cereals, grains, dried fruits, nuts and dried insect remains, spinning a silken web amongst foodstuff.

Adults normally emerge June to early September but in heated warehouses there maybe overlapping broods and continue throughout the autumn. Substantial numbers of Indian meal moth can reduce the value of grain or render it unfit for processing or feeding.

Mill moth, Ephestia kuehniella

Also known as the "Mediterranean flour moth", it originally from India. They approximately have a 20-25mm wingspan with the larvae being whitish with black speckles. The Mill moth is considered a major pest in flour mills but also found in bakeries and animal feed plants, they can cause significant problems in machines with their silk webbing.


Tropical warehouse moth, Ephestia cautella

Frequently found in food storage situations where it may contaminate foodstuffs with frass, webbing or silk making it the most common moth pest globally. 10-18mm wingspan. Frequently found with imported cargos, infestations have also been reported in cereals and chocolate manufacturing plants.