PEST NAME : WAREHOUSE MOTH, COCOA MOTH, TOBACCO MOTH (Ephestia elutella)

SIZE, SHAPE AND COLOUR : 14 to 16mm long with a wingspan of 14 to 17mm.  Grey, brow-grey sometimes banded.  Larvae 10 to 15mm.

BIOLOGY : 100 to 200 eggs laid in clusters over a two week period, larvae hatch 10 to 14 days later, penetrate food covering it with webbing tent.  Larvae moult 5 to 6 times and then migrate away to pupate usually at wall and wall/ceiling junctions and at right angles within a machine or on its superstructure.  Total development taking 82 to 206 days depending on temperature.  Peak July.

PREFERRED FOODS :  Grain, nuts, cocoa beans, tobacco, herbs, dried fruits, flour.

HABITAT : Common in UK, found in food storage warehouses, cocoa processing/Chocolate manufacturing and tobacco factories.