Wireworm thrive in grassland, so the most severe damage occurs following pasture. Of the field crops grown on the Canadian Prairies, Wireworm prefer cereals. Continuous cropping with cereals favours increased Wireworm populations. Non-cereal crops, such as weed-free alfalfa, impair the survival of newly hatched larvae, however, once larvae have completed one season of development they are tolerant of starvation and may be able to survive up to 2 years without a suitable food crop. For this reason, rotation by itself is seldom an effective control measure.