Dietary iron accumulates primarily in the anterior midgut and copper in the diet reduces iron content of the middle midgut. Intestines from MvlEY09165 homozygotes show severely reduced iron content in the middle midgut. Dietary iron fails to rescue iron storage in this region, whereas in the anterior midgut ferritin induction and iron accumulation are normal. The addition of copper to the diet reduces iron content in MvlEY09165 intestines to below levels of histochemical detection.