Stored-Grain Pests. 21 
The Mediterranean flour moth is a native of Europe. Its first dis- 
covery in the United States was in California in 1892. Since then it 
has spread to practically all the States of the Union and is recognized 
as the most serious pest of flour mills, owing to the silken threads 
Fig. 24.—The rice moth: a, Mature moth, dorsal view, with wings spread; b, side view 
of same moth with wings folded about body. The moth is of a grayish brown or tawny 
color, with a wing spread of about half an inch. Much enlarged. (Chittenden. ) 
which the larve spin wherever they crawl. These webs mat the flour 
or meal together and eventually clog machinery so that mills have to 
shut down for a thorough cleaning and treatment. Although pre- 
ferring flour and meal, the Mediterranean flour moth attacks grain, 
bran, and cereal products and is commonly found in storehouses and 
granaries. . 
Fic. 25.—Full-grown larva of the rice moth. The full-grown larva is about one-half inch 
long, and is of a whitish or bluish gray color. Much enlarged. (Chittenden.) 
The female moth lays small white eggs in accumulations of flour, 
meal, or waste grain. From the eggs the small larve hatch in a few 
days. When full grown, these are about half an inch long and are of 
a whitish or pinkish color with a few small black spots on the body. 
