Mediterranean Flour Moth - Ephestia kuehniella

Description

Wingspan about 22 mm.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

It can be a pest in flour mills and bakeries, where the moths are to be found resting on walls and windows by day.

When to see it

The species is rarely found outdoors due to its reliance on warmth, and moths can be found any time except in mid-winter; there are believed to be a number of overlapping generations.

Life History

E. kuehniella typically feeds as a larva on flour, but can also be found feeding on a number of other foodstuffs.

UK Status

An adventive species in this country. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as adventive.

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant).

Reference
62.063 BF1475

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Mediterranean Flour Moth
Species group:
Moths
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Pyralidae
Records on NatureSpot:
1
First record:
04/08/2008 (Skevington, Mark)
Last record:
04/08/2008 (Skevington, Mark)

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% of records within its species group

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