White-shouldered house moth
The white-shouldered house moth is a small moth with a white head and white shoulders. It lives in houses, sheds and barns all over the world. It has travelled together with people for a very, very long time.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It can have babies all year round, so you may see it in any month.
Its caterpillar spins itself a tiny silk hiding place in the food it eats.
It flies towards lamps and lights at night.
Scientists think it spread around the world by travelling with people since very ancient times.
Most asked questions about White-shouldered house moth
?Is the white-shouldered house moth harmful?
It is harmless to people, but its caterpillars can get into flour, cereal and dried fruit.
?What does the white-shouldered house moth eat?
Its caterpillars eat dry food scraps, seeds, wool and other dry plant and animal leftovers.
?Why is it in my house?
It loves to live where people live, especially where dry food is stored.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Endrosis sarcitrella
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Oecophoridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Oecophoridae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- White-shouldered house moth (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Ben Sale. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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