A genus of small moths whose larvae are pests of stored grain and flour.
From Greek ephestios meaning 'of the hearth' (from ephestia, the hearth goddess), as these moths were commonly found in kitchens and grain storage areas near cooking hearths.
The Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella) is so common in pantries worldwide that scientists use it as a model organism for studying insect genetics and development—basically the fruit fly of the moth world!
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