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Home > Pest Survey & Management > CAPS

Pest Survey (CAPS)

The Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) is a national pest detection program funded through a cooperative agreement between the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). The goal of the program is to provide an early warning system for pest detection and response that is critical for safeguarding our nation's agricultural and natural resources. Typical surveys target exotic and invasive pests and pests of export significance.

State cooperators (including personnel in the State Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources agencies, the University of Maine, and Cooperative Extension) and USDA personnel conduct pest surveys throughout the State of Maine.  Data collected from these surveys are organized and stored in the National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) database, which is accessible to the public and provides a wealth of information on exotic pests and pests of export significance.  

Survey activities in Maine for 2005 will focus on the following pests:

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)
Chrysanthemum White Rust ( Puccinia horiana ) (NAPIS)
European Crane Fly (Tipula spp.)
Exotic Wireworms (Agriotes spp.)
Exotic Wood Boring and Bark Beetles (NAPIS)
Leek Moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella)
Soybean Aphid (Aphis glycines)
Soybean Pod Borer (Maruca vitrata)
Soybean Rust (Phakospora pachyrhizi)
Swede Midge (Contarinia nasturtii)
Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
Pine Shoot Beetle (Tomicus piniperda)
Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)
European Larch Canker (Lachnellula willkommi)

For information on Maine CAPS surveys conducted previously, check out the University of Maine Pest Management Office's website.

To read more about the national CAPS program, please visit the USDA-APHIS site.