C. R. Edwards1 , J. Igrc Barcic, H. Berberovic, H. K. Berger, H. Festic, L. Furlan, I.Ivanova, J. Kiss, G. Princzinger, I. Sivcev, and I. Vonica.
1 Department of Entomology; Purdue University; W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1158 USA
The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte, was first noted in a cornfield near Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1992 (Baca 1993). Although it is reported that the WCR probably arrived in Yugoslavia in 1989 or 1990 (Sivcev et al. 1996), it is likely that the WCR was introduced into this area in the early to mid 1980's (Edwards et al. 1998). Its mode of transportation into Yugoslavia is unknown, but it likely arrived by airplane due to the close proximity of the discovery site to the Belgrade airport.
By 1998 it had spread over approximately 105.600 km2 of Yugoslavia (61,400 km2), Bosnia-Herzegovina (1.500 km2), Croatia (10.500 km2), Hungary (20.000 km2), and Romania (12,000 km2). Also, it was trapped in 1998 in the northwestern corner of Bulgaria (200 km2) near the Danube River bordering Romania and on the Bulgarian side next to the Yugoslavian border. Additionally, WCR beetles were trapped in 1998 near the Marco Polo Airport, Venice, Italy, in about 11 km2 and near the city of Bijelo Polje in Montenegro (near a railroad line with direct link to Belgrade).
In 1999 the WCR population continued to spread in all directions, although the greatest movement was northward in Hungary. This year an additional area of approximately 31.000 km2 was infested bringing the total infested area in Europe to about 150.000 km2. It is important to note that the population is rapidly approaching the borders with the Slovak Republic, Austria, Slovenia, and Ukraine.