Spatial distribution of eggs by ovipositing Indian meal moths, Plodia interpunctella ( Hübner ) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Summary A series of increasing egg densities was obtained by releasing various numbers of female Plodia interpunctella ( Hübner ) in rooms where dishes of moth rearing medium were evenly spaced on the floor. The number of larvae produced in each dish was taken as an indication of the number of eggs that had been laid. At all egg densities, the eggs were aggregated, and most of the distributions conformed quite well with the negative binormial, but the degree of aggregation denreased as mean egg density increased. The implications of the results for the development of ware‐house sampling strategies are discussed.