It is found in India, Pakistan,[3] Iran,[4] Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and on Mayotte.

[7] C. partellus has rapidly spread over a wide geographical range and has proven to be a very efficient colonizer and devastating pest wherever it may occur.

However, they can now be found in higher elevations such as Ethiopia at 2088 m.[8] C. partellus is highly invasive and can fully or partially displace other indigenous stemborer species such as Busseola fusca and Chilo orichalcociliellus.

When the larvae of the spotted stalk borer are fully grown, they produce a conspicuous reddish-brown head.

Five or more successive generations may develop in favourable conditions and in regions where there is warm temperatures, high relative humidity, sufficient water and an abundance of host plants.

Cultivated crop hosts include but are not limited to maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, and sugarcane.

Processes that could decrease the insect pest problem include unrestricted use of chemicals (insecticides) and imbalanced use of fertilizers.

The first symptom of damage is the presence of irregular shaped pinholes or shot holes caused by early-instar larval feeding in the whorl.

The older larvae leave the whorl, break through and bore into the stem and reach the growing point.

However, this particular defensive technique requires further study for it have very little to no information available regarding other factors including host plant defences on larval preference and development, C. partellus's oviposition behaviour after HIPV production, etc.

Samples of infested stems can be cut open to find caterpillars and pupae, however it is a good idea to rear these until adulthood to be certain that they are C. partellus pests.

Cultural practices: Intercropping or mixing maize with non-host crops like cassava can reduce the population of C. partellus.

Also, marking sure to destroy all residue of infested maize to ensure the death of all larvae would decrease the chances of reinfestation.

[28] Biological control: Two parasitic wasps (Cotesia flavipes) and (Xanthopimpla stemmator) can attack and kill C. partellus pests.

Also, studies indicate that nitrogen fertilizer can be applied as an integrated pest management tactic in control of C. partellus population development and infestation on maize crop.

This is due to a study showing that temperature, relative humidity, and interaction significantly affect the developmental time of C.