Mediterranean flour moth

Mediterranean flour moth, Pyralis farinalis (L.): Adults are relatively large, with a wingspan of 22–30 mm and a body length of 7.5–15 mm. Forewings display a pale to fawn median field, while the basal and apical areas are reddish; the median fascia is bordered on both sides by a sinuate white line. Hindwings are likewise patterned. Larvae are whitish, with a dark, sclerotized head capsule and a dark prothoracic shield; the body bears no black maculation.

Larvae attack stored cereals and milled products, abrading endosperm and germ; the feeding lesions are non‑specific. While feeding, they spin copious silk, creating webbing that agglomerates food particles at the commodity surface, mats fines, and fouls handling equipment. Frass, cast exuviae, and pupal cocoons contaminate product, tainting quality and odor. In whole or cracked grain they excavate irregular tunnels and cavities, leaving ragged perforations and weakened kernels. Webbed masses impede aeration, trap moisture, and can promote hotspots and mold. Flowability declines, sifting efficiency drops, and silken sheets can bridge packaging and bin walls. The result is shrinkage, weight loss, and downgrades driven by insect fragments, webbing, and metabolic heating.

Key signs of infestation by the Mediterranean flour moth, Pyralis farinalis (L.), in stored grain include: - Silken webbing spun by larvae, binding kernels into clumps and forming a felted surface layer. - Frass (larval fecal pellets) and fine feeding dust intermixed with the grain. - Cast skins: larval and pupal exuviae remaining where larvae fed or pupated. - Adult remains: dead moths, detached wings, or body fragments within or atop the lot. These indicators reveal active or recent activity and call for prompt inspection, sanitation, and segregation of affected stocks.

The Mediterranean flour moth, Pyralis farinalis (L.), infests stored grains and milled products. Females scatter their eggs at random among commodities, often on the grain surface or in crevices. After eclosion, neonate larvae enter the food and pass through successive instars, feeding and producing silk webbing and frass that mat and contaminate product. At the end of larval development, a wandering phase begins: larvae leave the food mass to find sheltered sites on walls, bags, or machinery and pupate within a compact silken cocoon. Following metamorphosis, adults emerge, mate rapidly, and commence oviposition, closing the cycle. Development is temperature- and humidity-dependent, enabling multiple overlapping generations per year in storage.

Pyralis farinalis, a stored-product lepidopteran, thrives in damp, poorly sanitized storage: moldy, spoiled, high-moisture cereals in unheated granaries, silos, mills, processing plants, warehouses, bulk carriers, and homes. Most abundant in wet, decayed grain; minor in coarse meals.

Aucun(e) translates to “no,” “none,” or “not any,” depending on context.