[3] It has been inadvertently introduced into North America where it is present in isolated localities near the east coast, particularly in Nova Scotia.

[4] The larvae are particularly prevalent in grassland and cereal crops but are polyphagous and eat the underground parts of a large number of plant species.

They feed on seeds and seedlings and the new tillers of cereal crops, and gnaw their way into roots, finding their food by smell.

They are killed by dry conditions or temperatures below about −6 °C (21 °F) but compensate by moving down through the soil to a meter (yard) or so beneath the surface.

[5] The larvae are eaten by birds such as rooks, crows and starlings, particularly just after ploughing, and are also preyed on by insects such as ground beetles.

Control measures include crop rotation, thorough soil cultivation, which exposes the larvae to predators, chemical treatments and growing less-susceptible varieties.