Almond Moth

Cadra cautella

1. Identification

• Common name: Almond moth
• Scientific name: Cadra cautella Walker
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Pyralidae

2. Pest description

• Whitish to pinkish caterpillars, very active, which feed on dried fruits and stored products.
• Small adults, of brownish colouring, with narrow and discreetly patterned wings.
• Attacks mainly almonds and other dried fruits, both in the field and in storage.
• Cosmopolitan species, associated with dried food products of plant origin.

3. Main hosts

• Almond tree.
• Fig tree.
• Walnut.
• Pistachio.
• Peanut.
• Various dried fruits and stored products (flours, cereals, animal feeds).

4. Symptoms and damage

• Perforations in the dried fruits.
• Presence of webs, residues and excrement inside the packaging.
• Contamination of the products and loss of commercial quality.
• Significant damage in warehouses, silos and processing units.
• Possible cross-infestation between different stored products.

5. Biological cycle

• Several generations per year, especially in warm environments.
• Eggs laid on the surface of the fruits or inside the packaging.
• Caterpillars develop rapidly, producing webs and feeding on the product.
• Pupation inside the packaging, among residues or in cracks.
• Adults active throughout the year in heated warehouses.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of webs, residues and caterpillars in stored products.
• Regular inspection of packaging, silos and storage areas.
• Monitoring with pheromone traps for flight detection.
• Assessment of the percentage of contaminated products.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: rigorous cleaning of warehouses, removal of contaminated products and stock rotation.
• Preventive: use of resistant packaging, humidity control and maintenance of low temperatures.
• Biological: use of pheromones for monitoring and, when applicable, mating disruption.
• Integrated protection: interventions only when justified, judicious application of authorised insecticides and integration of good storage practices.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Cadra cautella.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – C. cautella.
• Phillips, T. W., & Throne, J. E. (2010). Stored-product insect pests and their management. Journal of Stored Products Research.
• Alford, D. (2007). Pest management in stored products and food facilities.
• Hagstrum, D. W., & Subramanyam, B. (2016). Insect pests of stored grain.