Originally from Europe and Asia, the beetle was first found in the United States in southwestern Michigan in 1962. From there, it spread into neighboring States. But researchers continued to work on developing means of control, including biological control. While both adults and larvae of the cereal leaf beetle feed on grain plants, most of the damage is caused by the larvae, which feed on the upper leaf surface. They consume the chlorophyll-containing mesophyll cells, leaving the translucent lower leaf cuticle intact.
Adults feed by chewing completely through the leaves, creating narrow slits.
In the absence of natural enemies, this pest causes considerable damage to small-grain crops. Yield losses as high as 55 percent in spring wheat and 23 percent in winter wheat are reported in heavily infested fields, which have a frosted, withered appearance. In oats and barley, crop yields have been reduced by as much as 75 percent. The front of the thorax is dark red. They mate, and the females lay their eggs on leaves.