The Colorado Beetle is one of the most dreaded and hated insects of the world. In the 70's and 80's the media announced it to be a plague in Europe and even in Scandinavia where it is too cold to survive the winter, the media made a big story during the summer break. The beetle do sometimes survive on occasional favorable winters in Scandinavia by digging deeper into the ground to hibernate.

It was first discovered in 1811 in the Rocky Mountains where they feed on the nightshade Solanum rostratum (Buffalo bur), but a soon as the Potato was introduced to North America it seemed to change diet to the more favorable Potato Plants. It spread rapidly from Colorado to the East Coast of America within two decades. 

In Europe many countries banned Potato import from America, but in 1921 it established itself in France, Bordeaux near an American Military base and spread to the rest of Europe with 4 decades.