Latin: Hofmannophila pseudopretella.
This is quite a large moth, usually 1.5 cm long. The wings are almost bronze-brown and the elytrons have small but distinct dark spots. The largest of the larvae are about 2 cm in length. They are whitish except for the head which is dark. All types of plant material can be infested by the brown house moth. The larvae can also live in dry milk; they can fester in damp corks in dank wine cellars and destroy cork flooring, leather and woollen textiles. The brown house moth is common in the wild, where it feeds on both leftovers of feed as well as nesting material for birds’ nests.
A female brown house moth can lay 600 eggs during its lifetime. The development from egg to adult at 25 °C lasts 3 months. At 15 ° C, it takes 7 months and at temperatures below 13 ° C development stops completely. The brown house moth larvae are very sensitive to dehydration and cannot pursue their development if the humidity is consistently below 80% RH. Therefore, the safest and most reasonable precaution against brown house moths is to provide dry storage conditions.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)