Origin:
Likely this is native to tropical regions of the world but is found throughout the world at this time.
Biology:
The Raisin Moth is an occasional pest of stored food products, infesting most grain-based products as well as dried fruit and nuts. The life cycle is completed in less than 60 days, with multiple generations occurring each year indoors. It may be most common in the U.S. in California and Florida as ports of entry as well as in California’s huge fruit and nut industries. It is tropical in origin and survives best in warm climates. Females deposit up to 300 eggs on the material the larvae will feed on. The adult moths do not feed.
Identification:
The adult moth is small and has gray-brown forewings that may have a very indistinct darker band running across the middle from top to bottom. They are similar to the Mediterranean Flour Moth but are smaller and the dark bands on the forewing are less distinct. They also are very similar to the closely related Almond Moth, but without the distinct darker band on the forewing. The larva is white with indistinct rows of dark spots running along the sides.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
Pheromone traps are very useful in trapping adult moths and narrowing the search for the infested materials. Finding the source is necessary as this is where the larvae are feeding and where new adult moths will come from. Once isolated the infested product can be disposed of or treated in some manner, the area around it thoroughly vacuumed to remove debris and wandering larvae, and if necessary a labeled residual material applied to intercept any larvae that were missed. Adult moths can be removed with a vacuum or killed with a light mist of pyrethrum.
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