Hantsmoths

Naturalised through accidental introduction in dried goods in warehouses, granaries and container ports throughout the British Isles, occasionally taken at light in the wild. In Hampshire found for the first time on 30 May 2000 in a box of strawberries purchased at a supermarket in Fareham. Not recorded from the Isle of Wight to date. Wingspan 15-20 mm. One of six very similar species of Ephestia found in the UK, which are generally separable only by dissection of the genitalia, most wild-caught individuals being E. unicolorella, with the other five species favouring warehouses. Larva feeds on dried fruit, causing sufficient damage to be a serious pest in some areas.

VC11 South Hampshire