INITIAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE MULTICOLOURED ASIAN LADYBIRD Harmonia axyridis Palas, 1773 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) IN THE WESTERN SERBIAN REGION

The first record of Harmonia axyridis in Serbia was reported in 2008 from the Vorovo locality within the Fruska Gora National Park. During the late autumn of 2009, the first and mass occurrence of the species was noted at 19 sites in residential areas in the vicinity of the towns of Cacak and Gornji Milanovac, western Serbia. Additionally, the imagoes of H. axyridis were recorded in late October in the said areas on the balconies of residential buildings. This is the first report and at the same time the first mass finding of the invasive species in the Western Serbian region. No allergic reactions in humans to H. axyridis were reported.