Moths of North Carolina
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 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFPyralidae Members: Ephestia Members: 13 NC Records

Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, 1879 - Mediterranean Flour Moth

Ephestia kuehniellaEphestia kuehniellaEphestia kuehniellaEphestia kuehniella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Pyraloidea		 Family:
Pyralidae		Subfamily:
Phycitinae		Tribe:
Phycitini		P3 Number:
80a0183		 MONA Number:
6020.00		 Other Common Names:
Indian Flour Moth, Mill Moth
Species Status: "Easily confused with some Homoeosoma" (Scholtens, 2017)
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: 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.
Ephestia kuehniellaAlamance 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 are apparently highly polyphagous, reported on a variety of crop plants including peanut, peppers, soybean, barley, rice, peas, rye, potato, wheat, and corn; but also on walnut, cherry, and oak (Robinson et al., 2010; Beadle & Leckie, 2018). - 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 Ephestia kuehniella - Mediterranean Flour Moth

Photos: 11
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-03
Madison Co.
Comment:
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-03
Durham Co.
Comment:
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-03-04
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-10-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-10-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-02-15
Wake Co.
Comment: Perhaps E. kuhniella?
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-04-22
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-27
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Ephestia kuehniellaRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-27
Guilford Co.
Comment: