Indian Meal Moth – Life expectancy

Q: What is the life expectancy of a meal moth? We have put all food in sealed plastic bags but would like to know when the moths we have will bite the dust! We found a trap with pheromones to attract them. Is this a legit control?

A: Let me break out my calculator. The entire Indian mealmoth life cycle lasts about six weeks, and it takes around thirty days to develop from egg to adult. Pressing “Enter”, I see that the adult moth is active for ten to twelve days.

Truth be told, the adult is just the “indicator” creature. The larvae are the ones that do the damage to food. You’re right to seal everything up. You should caulk all of the cracks and crevices in and near the pantry (or cupboards) where female moths lay their eggs.

The pheromone trap is a good way to monitor if you still have the moths after doing the recommendations above. However, not enough of the creatures get caught in a trap to control a mealmoth population.