What is "flour moth"

n. Any one of several small moths of the ''(taxlink Pyralidae family)'' family whose larvae feed on flour, as the Indianmeal moth, (taxlink Plodia interpunctella species), the Mediterranean flour moth or Indian flour Moth, (taxlink Ephestia kuehniella species), or the meal snout-moth, (taxlink Pyralis farinalis species).

The term flour moth refers to certain small moths of the family Pyralidae (snout moths, waxmoths), whose caterpillars are a pest of flour:

• Ephestia kuehniella (Mediterranean flour moth, Indian flour moth)
• Plodia interpunctella (Indianmeal moth)

These two are closely related. They can easily be distinguished by their forewing coloration: the Mediterranean flour moth has light grey forewings with tiny dark specks, appearing uniformly grey from a distance. The Indianmeal moth has bicolored forewings, with the proximal part light grey and the distal part dark or reddish grey.

Pyralis farinalis, a somewhat more distantly related and more robust snout moth, is known as meal moth. Its caterpillars have similar habits.