“What are these?” asks Stephanie about the little, yellow, worm-like creatures pictured below. “Found in the pantry.” From what we can tell, the worms in the picture are on top of a canning jar lid, which gives us a good size comparison: these worms are clearly very tiny. In any case, we believe that Stephanie found Indianmeal moth caterpillars. Otherwise known as pantry moth caterpillars, these creatures are found in –you guessed it– the pantry: which is exactly where Stephanie found them. How predictable. That said, they are also found all over the kitchen, and wherever dried food goods are stored.

Why are they found in these locations? Well because the caterpillars like to munch on these goods, which includes rice, seeds, nuts, grains, cereals, pet food, and more. No dried food good is safe. Unfortunately, as Stephanie has discovered, the caterpillars are usually found in large numbers, because the moths lay their eggs directly in or on a food source, meaning that when the eggs hatch, infestations of them are not only likely, but inevitable. Once these caterpillars start munching on your food, they will leave behind shed skin and faeces which render the foods inedible, though we should note that Stephanie would not be putting her health at risk if she accidentally ate some caterpillar-infested foods, her food would just taste really really weird.

The best way to combat these infestations is through elimination and prevention. To eliminate the infestation, throw out any infested goods (those will be clearly marked by the presence of shed skins and faecal pellets) in the garbage bins outside — emphasis on outside. If you throw the infested foods in the trash can inside your home, the infestation will just continue, the caterpillars will eventually metamorphose into moths, and start the whole process all over again. Additionally, to prevent future infestations, storing dried foods in airtight containers, rather than keeping them in the original packaging, will prevent the moths from getting inside the food and laying her eggs.

In conclusion, the little, yellow worms Stephanie found in her pantry are Indianmeal moth caterpillars, otherwise known as pantry moth caterpillars. We hope this helps, and we wish Stephanie the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Tiny, Yellow Worms in Pantry are Indianmeal Moth Caterpillars

Description

"What are these?" asks Stephanie about the little, yellow, worm-like creatures pictured below. "Found in the pantry." From what we can tell, the worms in the picture are on top of a canning jar lid, which gives us a good size comparison: these worms are clearly very tiny. In any case, we believe that Stephanie found Indianmeal moth caterpillars. Otherwise known as pantry moth caterpillars, these creatures are found in --you guessed it-- the pantry: which is exactly where Stephanie found them. How predictable. That said, they are also found all over the kitchen, and wherever dried food goods are stored.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton