Harmonia axyridis (or the Harlequin Ladybird) is a large coccinellid beetle originally native to eastern Asia, but which has been introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known and spreading in those regions. The species poses a hazard to indigenous species due to its voracious appetite which enables them to out-compete and even eat other lady beetles. The Global Invasive Species Database list the Harlequin Ladybird amongst 100 most dangerous. The beetle may be a nuisance in houses, bite people and be the sources of allergy.

The beetle occurs in three main color forms: red or orange with black spots (known as form succinea); black with four red spots (form spectabilis); and black with two red spots (form conspicua). The elytra usually display a wide transverse “keel” at the apex (see the lower photo).
In Ukraine the species has been found in the Transcarpathian Region, the extreme NW, and in Kyiv, the capital of the country.

Where can one find Harlequin ladybird?
• October, November: Harlequin ladybirds usually overwinter in large groups (100-1000 individuals). In this part of the season they often congregate in sunlit Southern walls of the buildings, monuments, cliffs especially at locations with natural vegetation.
• November – March: Harlequin ladybirds spend the winter often in buildings and flats. Sometimes only 2–3 individuals near the windows, but in other cases thousands.
• April – June: In spring-early summer Harlequin ladybirds (adults and larvae) are most common on aphid and psyllid (for example pear sucker) colonies especially on bushes and trees. They can be found very often on lime, willow, poplar, common walnut, apple and pear trees, on roses and spirea but also on maize and nettle but in higher number only in case when they have many aphid colonies or heavy psyllid infestation.
• July – August: The easiest way to collect Harlequin ladybirds in this time of the season is to look for them under the lamps on the walls of the buildings in evening, early night. Harlequin ladybirds in dark fly towards the light, especially if the temperature in the evening -– like usually in this part of the season – relatively higher.
• July – September: Harlequin ladybirds are still common on the trees with greater aphid or psyllid infestation, although the number of aphids on the trees usually much smaller in the second part of the summer and in autumn.

For a centralized account of the spread of the species in Ukraine there is an appeal to make records and (if feasible) digital photos of the Harlequin Ladybird found in the country and send the information to the Department of Monitoring and Animal Wildlife Conservation of the Institute of Zoology (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv) to Drs. Oksana Nekrasova or Volodymyr Tytar (oneks@mail.ru or vtytar@gmail.com).