Adults are a common sign of an infestation. The forewings of this moth are reddish brown with a copper sheen on the outer two thirds and gray on the inner third. At rest the wings are held roof-like over the body. The head and thorax of the moth appears gray and the posterior brown. The damage to stored products due to this contamination phenomenon exceeds the amount of food eaten by the insects.
Damage can occur wherever the moth is found.
This includes stored or processed food in houses, food processing plants, warehouses, groceries and granaries. Sampling Sampling can be accomplished through pheromone sticky traps. Many traps are available on the market and in some cases of low-level infestations, can be used for control as well. Traps are also useful in timing and evaluation of control procedures. One drawback of the pheromone sticky trap seems to be that population size and number trapped affect their effectiveness.