Infested material will be more or less webbed together and often fouled with dirty silken masses containing the discharge of the larvae. These moths attack nearly every cereal product, and frequently infestations in the home can be traced to dog food. They can also be found in candy, nuts and spices. The outer two-thirds of the wings are reddish brown. Females are capable of laying about 200 eggs.
Larval forms are white with a distinct greenish or pinkish tinge and have a light-brown head.
The members of this family are scavengers and feed on a wide variety of products of both plant and animal origin. They are usually hairy or covered with scales. Most have a distinct color pattern based upon these hairs or scales. The larval stages have a tubular shape or body and are generally brownish or reddish-brown, covered with relatively long hairs. Some species have bundles of hairs on the last three or four segments while others have a terminal tuft of long hairs.