A related species, the Northern corn rootworm, D. barberi, co-inhabits in much of the range and is fairly similar in biology.

Corn rootworms go through three larval instars, pupate in the soil and emerge as adults in July and August.

After feeding for several weeks, the larvae dig a cell in the soil and molt into the pupal stage.

Northern corn rootworm beetles are solid in color and vary from light tan to pale green.

Severe root injury may result in lodging of corn plants, making harvest more difficult.

In field corn, beetle populations are occasionally high enough to cause severe silk clipping during pollen shed, which may interfere with pollination.

[2] The Western corn rootworm rapidly expanded its range in North America during the second part of the 20th century.

[4] The Serbian outbreak spread north and south to include Greece to Poland and east from Italy to Ukraine.

[7] Small remote outbreaks in southern Germany and north-eastern Italy most likely originated from long-distance dispersal events from Central and southeastern Europe.

Several hybrid corn traits reduce damage by increasing stalk strength and root mass size.

[2] Early planted fields that have completed pollen shed are less attractive and therefore have less egg laying activity.

Practices that promote strong root systems and a generally vigorous crop make corn more tolerant to rootworm feeding and damage.

Organophosphates, such as methyl-parathion, may provide effective control of both larval and adult populations in Central and southeastern Europe and in northwest Italy.

[14] Shrestha, Dunbar, French and Gassmann have reported that field history causes variation in the degree of corn rootworm resistance.

The transgenic traits, isolated from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis strain (often referred to as Bt), produce the insect control protein.

[citation needed] Bt was first discovered in 1901 by Japanese biologist S. Ishiwatari as the source of disease that was killing large populations of silkworms.

Beginning in the 1980s, the genes responsible for making Bt proteins were isolated and transferred into corn plants.

Compared to spray formulations, transgenic plants with the Bt protein provide much more effective insect protection throughout the season.

Acceleron, Herculex Xtra, and VT Triple Pro include traits for protection from insect damage.

Bt proteins are highly selective on certain categories and species of insects, eliminating insecticide use and its harmful effects to non-target organisms.

[18] Recently, however, strains of rootworms that exhibit Bt resistance have been discovered in several Midwestern US states.

This ability to rapidly evolve to adapt to multiple traits in their new food source has proved to be a challenge for farmers and scientists.

That same year, Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta and Dow Agro-Sciences all began to sell "stacked" or pyramid corn seed designed to slow the development of resistance.

With that new method, such pheromones are put on specially treated mineral carriers and are slowly released over the full flying period of the bugs.

Reproduction is drastically reduced [25] The application is done with conventional field sprayers which makes it economically very viable.