“…It remains unclear how this infestation began, but frequent international flights from major airports within the United States located near large maize production areas suggest that accidental transport of adults by commercial aircraft was most likely 304 Gray et al Reconstruction of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, range expansion from central Great Plains across North America from 1867 to 2005, based on data or reports in the literature (25,39,48,49,64,67,68,69,70,110,115,116,123 (Figure 2), with the most significant number of infested hectares in Hungary (93,000 km 2 ), Serbia and Montenegro (73,000 km 2 ), and Romania (65,000 km 2 ). Miller et al (72) determined that at least three independent incursions by the western corn rootworm across the Atlantic Ocean, rather than a single invasion, are responsible for the current European distribution of this insect pest.…”