Mediterranean Flour Moth vs Evergreen Bagworm Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mediterranean Flour Moth Evergreen Bagworm Moth
Scientific Name Ephestia kuehniella Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pyralidae Psychidae
Size 10-14 mm body; 20-25 mm wingspan Males 25 mm wingspan; females wingless and legless
Habitat Indoors Gardens
Diet Seed Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mediterranean Flour Moth

A major pest of flour mills that produces dense silken webbing that clogs milling machinery. It is pale grey with zigzag markings on the forewings.

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Did You Know?

It was the first insect used to demonstrate biological pest control with parasitoid wasps in the early 1900s.

Evergreen Bagworm Moth

A North American bagworm whose larvae construct spindle-shaped bags covered in bits of leaves and twigs. Heavy infestations can completely defoliate and kill ornamental evergreen trees.

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Did You Know?

The adult female is so reduced that she is essentially a bag of eggs with no wings, legs, eyes, or functional mouthparts.