The most common pest of coarsely ground flours and cornmeal is a(n) _____.

• A. Red flour beetle
• B. Indianmeal moth
• C. Rice weevil
• D. Webbing clothes moth

Answer: (B)

The scenario tests which pantry pest is most likely to infest dried, stored foods like coarsely ground flours and cornmeal. The Indianmeal moth is the best fit because its life cycle is centered on dry pantry items: the female lays eggs on or near food, the larvae hatch and feed inside the product, and a wide range of dried goods—including coarse flours and cornmeal—provide suitable substrates. This makes it the most common pest you’d encounter in these products, with infestations often visible as webbing and damaged, contaminated flour or meal.

Other pests listed don’t fit this exact situation as well: red flour beetles and rice weevils are stored-product pests too, but their typical targets and damage patterns differ (often involving whole grains or milled products in specific ways), while webbing clothes moths attack fabrics, not foods.