Etiella behrii is found in much of South East Asia including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia.

However, it theorised that E. behrii is prevented from breeding and establishing in Tasmania due to a lack of winter diapause and the absence of observed larvae.

Once eggs have hatched, larvae will bore into green lucerne seed pods where they will feed as they grow, causing significant crop damage.

[3] Larvae from summer pulses usually complete the life cycle in a single seed pod before boring out in a pin-sized hole.

[6] The larvae are considered an agricultural pest on other leguminous crops such as peanut (Arachis hypogaea), Chamaecytisus prolifer, sky lupine (Lupinus nanus), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), pea (Pisum sativum) and soybean (Glycine species).

[3] Etiella behrii is thought to live on native plants in scrubland and along roadside during spring and early summer before infesting lucerne seed crops in January.

[6] Multiple factors are thought to contribute to changes in the size of infestation each year, such as the timing of crops, the scarcity of native plants, and the presence of predators.

There are ten recorded species of parasitic wasps and flies, two pathogens and several predatory insects that attack the larvae of lucerne seed web moth.