1. The GGB beetle is capable of flying. It is also capable of attacking and hiding in a range of commodities and products such as the following:- maize grain, cobs and stalks
- dried cassava
- timber/wood/bamboo2. While the GGB beetle is capable of flying, it has been mostly spread around the world by people moving commodities about, especially maize.
3. Scientific records show that the GGB originated in Central America, where it was first identified in 1878.
4. Outside the Americas, the GGB has been found in several countries, where it has been introduced through maize imports from South, Central and North America. The countries in which it has been found include Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya.
5. In East Africa, the pest was first identified in 1980 in the Tabora region of Tanzania. It had been introduced there through maize imports, probably from the U.S.A. From Tabora, the beetle spread in all directions, mainly through movement of maize. By 1983, it had already crossed the border through illegal movement of maize from Tanzania into Kenya. Due to continual maize movements from Taveta to Voi and elsewhere into the country, the pest has now spread as far as Kajiado, Kitui, Kilifi, Kwale, Machakos and Makueni districts (as at March 1993).
