Mediterranean flour moth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mediterranean flour moth |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Ephestia
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| Species: |
kuehniella
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The Mediterranean flour moth or mill moth (Ephestia kuehniella) is a type of moth. It belongs to the family called Pyralidae. This moth is a common pest of cereal grains, especially flour. You can find this moth all over the world. It is most common in places with mild or warm weather. It likes warm temperatures to grow faster. However, it can still live in many different temperatures.
The Mediterranean flour moth often lives in warm places where grain products are stored. These places include flour mills and bakeries. Here, it can breed all year long. Flour mills have a big problem with this moth. This is because the caterpillars spin silk. This silk can clog up the machines. The best way to control these moths is to keep places clean. Also, sealing grain containers helps stop them from getting in. Sometimes, special sprays called pesticides are used too.
Contents
- What Does the Mediterranean Flour Moth Look Like?
- Where Do These Moths Live Around the World?
- Where Do Mediterranean Flour Moths Live?
- What Do Mediterranean Flour Moths Eat?
- The Life Cycle of the Mediterranean Flour Moth
- What Are the Enemies of the Mediterranean Flour Moth?
- How Mediterranean Flour Moths Mate
- How These Moths Affect Humans
- Gallery
- See also
What Does the Mediterranean Flour Moth Look Like?
Adult Mediterranean flour moths have light gray bodies. Their front wings are gray with black zigzag patterns. Their back wings are an off-white color. The distance from one wing tip to the other is about 1.5 to 2.6 centimeters. The young moths, called larvae or caterpillars, are white or pink. They have black spots and dark heads. The next stage, called pupae, are reddish-brown.
Where Do These Moths Live Around the World?
This moth was first seen as a pest in Germany in 1879. After that, it spread to many places in Europe. In the late 1800s, new roller flour mills helped the moth spread even more. By 1980, it was common in Britain, North America, and Australia. Now, you can find the Mediterranean flour moth all over the world. However, it is not very common in the Far East, except for Japan. Places with mild climates are most likely to have these moths in their flour mills.
Where Do Mediterranean Flour Moths Live?
Mediterranean flour moths live in stored grain products. They mostly infest flour. But they can also be found in many other types of cereal grains. This moth is a big pest in flour mills. You might also find it in bakeries and warehouses. This is especially true in cereal products that have been left alone for a long time. These moths really like flour mills and bakeries. This is because these places are warm, which lets them breed all year.
What Do Mediterranean Flour Moths Eat?
The caterpillars of these moths eat flour, meal, whole grains, and leftover grain bits. Unlike some other pest moths, E. kuehniella is almost always found in cereal grain products. It is not usually found in other stored foods like dried fruit. Adult Mediterranean flour moths do not live very long. They do not eat at all.
The Life Cycle of the Mediterranean Flour Moth
Female E. kuehniella moths usually lay their eggs on the second night after they become adults. This is because they need a few hours for their bodies to get ready. Females will then lay between 116 and 678 eggs. They lay them in a food source, like flour. The eggs often stick to the flour.
When the eggs hatch, tiny caterpillars come out. These larvae spin silk tubes around themselves. They spend about 40 days growing inside these tubes. When they are fully grown, the larvae move to new spots. They spin silk cocoons around themselves. Inside these cocoons, they change into pupae. Adult moths then come out of the pupae in 8 to 12 days.
In hot weather, the moth's whole life cycle can take as little as five to seven weeks. Even though it likes warm temperatures to grow faster, E. kuehniella can grow in temperatures from 12°C to about 30°C.
The moth's activities are also affected by its daily rhythm. Adult moths usually come out during the day. But other adult activities, like females calling for mates, males trying to attract females, mating, and laying eggs, usually happen at night.
What Are the Enemies of the Mediterranean Flour Moth?
Tiny Bacteria: Wolbachia
Mediterranean flour moths can be infected by a type of bacteria called Wolbachia. These bacteria affect how the moths reproduce. They are passed down from the mother. Wolbachia can cause problems with how sperm and eggs join together. This means that infected males can only have babies with infected females. This makes it harder for uninfected females to have healthy offspring. Different types of Wolbachia cause different levels of these problems.
Parasitic Wasps: Nemeritis canascens
E. kuehniella can also be attacked by a parasitic wasp called Nemeritis canascens. The young wasps (larvae) live inside the moth caterpillars. They are called endoparasites. The Nemeritis larvae feed on the blood of the host caterpillars. The wasp larvae stay small until the moth caterpillar is almost fully grown. Then, the parasitic larvae start to feed much faster. This makes them grow quickly when the caterpillar is older. This is because the caterpillar's blood changes as it gets older.
How Mediterranean Flour Moths Mate
Both male and female moths are ready to mate soon after they become adults. Adult moths often mate on the same day they emerge. This gives the females the best chance to have many babies. Females make special calls and males try to attract them. These behaviors are strongest just before mating happens.
The Mediterranean flour moth is a species where females usually emerge earlier than males. This might help prevent brothers and sisters from mating. Females emerge and mate with other males before their brothers are ready. It's best for females to mate on the day they emerge. If they mate later, they are less likely to have babies. Females release special scents called pheromones. These scents are a way of calling to males when they are most ready to mate.
Scientists studied how not enough food or too many larvae in one place affected male moths. They found that males who grew up with many other larvae were smaller. Their front wings, chest, and head were smaller, and they weighed less. However, these smaller males had larger front wings compared to their body size. This might help them fly around more to find mates when there are many moths in one place.
The study also found that how often males mated did not change with how many larvae were around. But males from crowded places lived shorter lives as adults. They also produced fewer healthy sperm. To have more babies when there are many other males around, they keep making a certain type of sperm. They also mate more often.
E. kuehniella is a polyandrous species. This means that female moths can mate with more than one male.
How These Moths Affect Humans
A Pest of Stored Grains
The moth larvae attack stored flour or other cereal grains to eat them. But the biggest problem they cause is when they mess up machines in mills. The web-like material that the larvae spin clogs up the machines. Some grain mills have even had to shut down because of this problem. They also cause damage by biting holes in the silk screens used to sift flour.
How to Control These Pests
Stopping Them Before They Start
The best way to control the Mediterranean flour moth is to stop it from getting into stored grains in the first place. This means doing basic cleaning. You should thoroughly clean out bins and the floors and walls around them. This removes old grains and dust. Sealing all cracks and small openings in the building and grain bins can stop moths from getting in. Checking grain bins often, especially in warm months, for hot spots, mold, and insects can also lower the risk of an infestation. Cleaning is usually the best way to prevent these moths.
Using Pesticides
Sometimes, insecticides (bug sprays) are used. Also, fumigants (special gases) might be used if there is already a big infestation. Both of these methods use toxic chemicals. So, safety rules must be followed when using them. Methyl bromide was often used as a pesticide in many countries. But it was later banned because it harms the environment. It was found to damage the ozone layer.
Natural Control Methods
Tiny parasitoid wasps called Trichogramma can be used as a natural way to control the Mediterranean flour moth. These wasps can kill the moth when it is still an egg. This stops the moth from reaching the destructive caterpillar stage. How well Trichogramma works depends on what the host moth ate. It also depends on the quality of the moth's eggs. Temperature can also affect if the host is suitable for the wasp.
Using Radiation
Gamma radiation is another way to control these moths. It is an alternative to using pesticides. The FDA has approved low-dose irradiation as a safe way to control pests in foods. This method is fast and does not depend on temperature. Radiation treatment can stop adult moths from coming out of their cocoons. It can also cause changes that make the moths unable to have babies.
Gallery
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Female, seen from above
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Female, seen from below
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Male, seen from above
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Male, seen from below
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A young caterpillar (larva)
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Seen from above, with wings closed
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See also
In Spanish: Ephestia kuehniella para niños
