What are Indian meal moths?
Indian meal moths are a common household pest in New Jersey that feeds on staple pantry items and stored products including cereals, grains, dog food, and spices.
What do Indian meal moths look like?
Adult Indian meal moths measure approximately ½ inch in length, have gray bodies, and are equipped with bi-colored wings that are reddish brown and bronze.
Their larvae have brown heads and bodies that are usually off-white but may appear tinged with pink or green. They have been described as looking similar to caterpillars or worm-like.
Are Indian meal moths harmful?
Though you are likely to notice adult Indian meal moths flying around your kitchen, they are not harmful. They do contribute to the overall problem when they deposit their eggs into stored products.
Eggs hatch larvae which are the problem. No, the larvae do not spread any known disease but they do infest and contaminate food and items such as the ones mentioned above. The results of the contamination include spoiled food and the added cost of replacing infested items.
What causes Indian meal moths?
An infestation of Indian meal moths typically occurs when homeowners unknowingly bring home packages from the store that are already infested. Indian meal moths, like other pests, may also enter from outside. It should also be noted that these pests multiply quicker in humid conditions.
What are the signs of an Indian meal moth infestation?
- Adult moths flying around your pantry or kitchen
- Live bugs in food
- Clumps formed by the webbing of groups of larvae
- Larvae crawling on walls or positioned in areas where wall meets ceiling
How do I get rid of Indian meal moths?
If you’re worried about an Indian meal moth infestation in your home, please contact Arrow Pest Control to schedule a free evaluation. Our locally owned and operated pest control company has been helping New Jersey homeowners get rid of Indian meal moths, confused flour beetles, and other stored product pests for almost 50 years. In fact, our home pest control plans target over 30 household pests including these food-infesting pests!
Can I prevent an Indian meal moth infestation?
In order to prevent an Indian meal moth infestation from taking route in your home, our pest control team recommends the following prevention tips:
- Seal any gaps, cracks, and openings on the exterior of the house.
- Clean out your pantry often and use the oldest foodstuffs first.
- Store food in airtight containers after opening.
- Inspect each food item you bring into your home.
- At the grocery store, do not purchase food with packaging that is dented or otherwise damaged.
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‟We have a quarterly service plan with Arrow. They are not only focused on addressing issues they put preventative measures in place to prevent issues from happening, like looking for and sealing the places where bugs can get into the home. The team are professional, friendly, thorough and provide details about every step of their process. We have had several different technicians over the last 2 years and each follows the same process and guidelines. Definitely recommend for treatment and prevention.”
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‟My family has used Arrow since the early 80's. In our new home we use them as well. Jason came yesterday and did a great job. Thanks again for your great service to our community!”
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‟I used Arrow Pest Control for the first time today and I was totally satisfied, I reached out to them on Sunday and spoke to Beatrice and she set me up an appointment for Monday morn for an estimate and Monday afternoon the technician came and serviced my house.....I wish I could have gave them 10 stars, very helpful, right to the point, very professional, on time and no games.....I highly recommend arrow pest control in Morganville.......thank you J.F.”
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‟With Covid hitting everyone, the exterminator that helped us was respectful of the safety with a mask, boots and gloves. He was very informative and explained everything as he did it.”
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‟We’ve been using Arrow for the last 4 years. We have a monthly plan, so they come and service the interior and exterior regularly. We can also call them anytime for anything we see...wasp, wasp nests, rodents, ants, whatever...our coverage literally includes the mailbox at the curb all the way to the furthest point of our backyard fence and everything in between. All the technicians we’ve had, including Jason, were friendly and knowledgeable. But, Jason, goes above and beyond with his service and willingness to do more for his customers. Highly recommend Arrow Pest Control!”
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‟Tom is amazing! Arrow is the best company! Love their services. They truly care about their clients. ”
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‟Today was my first appointment with Arrow and Jason made everything seamless and efficient. Not only was he knowledgeable, he took his time explaining everything to me which proved he cared. I’m happy to have found Arrow and will continue to request Jason for my services! Thank you!”
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‟All the professional qualities a business such as Arrow Pest Control would expect a service technician to exhibit, Brian, effortlessly presented. From my standpoint, he offered GOLD STAR ”
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‟Recommended to us by neighbors, Arrow arrived promptly to treat our new to us home. The house is built on a slab which small ants love to nest in.
Their program is such that they return til the problem is solved. Today was their third visit. Steve was very thorough, professional and had a great sense of humor. I am hoping not to see him again this season! I would recommend based on our current relationship.
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‟I’m so happy we went with Arrow! We had been using another pest control company and still had a lot of spiders and crickets!! We switched to Arrow and after the first use with them, all the bugs were gone. They do a great job, very thorough, professional, friendly and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend using their services if you have any bug issues!”
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‟We were very pleased with how easy it was to schedule a first appointment with Rob and how reassuring and thorough his inspection was. A few hours later Josh arrived for the first treatment and was professional and took the time to answer all our questions. We didn’t hesitate to sign-up for Home Protection Program after seeing the quality and level of service we will receive.”
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‟Arrow and Brian with Arrow were amazing! He came same day when we heard scary noises in our attic. He found mice and a loose wire and even took a photo so we could see. He worked hard to crawl into a tiny space and we are so appreciate!! We can sleep tonight thanks to him.”
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‟Extremely professional and always on time. I was having an issue with mice and decided to call Arrow. They were able to get here next day and have an inspection. I set up with one of their monthly contracts and they were out to my home once a week continuously monitoring the situation until it was fully taken care of. I truly couldn’t recommend them more.”
