Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFPyralidae Members: Plodia Members: 42 NC Records

Plodia interpunctella (Hübner, 1813) - Indian Meal Moth


Plodia interpunctellaPlodia interpunctellaPlodia interpunctellaPlodia interpunctella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea
Family:
Pyralidae
Subfamily:
Phycitinae
Tribe:
Phycitini
P3 Number:
80a0181
MONA Number:
6019.00
Other Common Names:
Indian-meal Moth, Pantry Moth, Weevil Moth, Flour Moth, Grain Moth, Waxworm
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Neunzig (1996)                                                                                 
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Plodia interpunctellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on stored grains and other food products (Heppner, 2007). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Plodia interpunctella - Indian Meal Moth

41 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-28
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-02
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-02-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-12-10
Durham Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-08
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-08
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-08-24
Durham Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-08-20
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-06-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-15
Wilson Co.
Comment: These moths are coming from Purina One dry dog food.
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-02-27
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Terrell Tucker on 2024-02-27
Moore Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-01-03
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-06
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-20
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-10-06
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-04
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-10
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-08-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-08-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-05-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-14
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-08-06
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-08-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-15
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-09
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Plodia interpunctellaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-03-03
Cumberland Co.
Comment: