SIVICEK, Peter
The Central Control and Testing Institute of Agriculture, Plant Protection Department, Bratislava, the Slovak Republic

The survey for the detection occurrence of the Diabrotica virgifera virgifera has been carried out in the Slovak Republic since 1996 (excluding 1997). We used the pheromone traps and also the Multigard traps from the FAO project for this survey in 1999 and 2000. The net of the monitoring sites have been set up along our southern border with Hungary and Austria. Two sites were placed near the airports in Bratislava and Kosice. We expected the occurrence WCR in the following districts. DunajskaStreda,  Komarno, Vel’ky Krtis and Lucenec according to information given by  the "Map of the Spread of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe from 1992 to 1999", in 2000. For this reason we focused on these regions which are near the north Hungarian border where pest occurred in 1999. The phytosanitary inspectors of the Plant Protection Department of UKSUP were trained for survey purposes in spring 2000. They started carrying out this survey in 27^th week  (i.e. from June 26^th 2000 to July 2^nd 2000). The pheromone traps (traps and capsules) were renewed every 30 days. It was the first time in  32^nd week  (i.e. from July 31^st 2000 to  August 6^th 2000) and the second time in 36^th week (i.e. from August 28^th 2000 to  September 3^rd 2000), The survey finished on October 1^st 2000. The traps were checked every 7 days and the results were recorded on the survey sheets.

The first adult of the Diabrotica virgifera virgifera was found in a pheromone trap in Kosihy nad lprom (district Vel’ky Krtis)  on August 7^th 2000. Other adults were found during special inspections two days later in Sklabina (district Vel’ky Krtis ), Holisa and Siatorska Bukovinka (district Lucenec). The last adults were caught in Ton (district Komarno) on August 28^th 2000. The river Danube did not represent a barrier for spreading out the pest to Slovakia. No damages from adults of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera  were seen on corn plants in the Slovak Republic in 2000. Identification of the pest has been confirmed by UKSUP as well as the Zoological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The training on Diabrotica virgifera virgifera were carried out for growers and agronomists. We published articles in the state-wide agriculture newspaper and the magazines and we also prepared the leaflet together with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic.