Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS)

The Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) is a collaborative effort by Federal and State agricultural organizations to raise public awareness about introduced pests from foreign countries such as Europe, China and other Asian countries, etc., by means of surveillance, detection and monitoring of invasive, exotic pests. Invasive pests consist of, but are not limited to, weeds, insects and other invertebrate organisms.

It is the goal of the RI Division of Agriculture to use this increased awareness to prevent the introduction and spread of potentially invasive, exotic pests in Rhode Island before they become well established.

The CAPS staff will conduct insect surveys at both agricultural establishments, businesss and forested areas such as parks, wooded areas and other sites which could be a potential pathway in introducing pests into the environment and set insect traps to monitor for these insects.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Federal Links:

• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)
• USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area
• USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area Pest Alerts
• USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area Forest and Tree Health Publications
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Plants Database
• National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC)
• NAS - Non-indigenous Aquatic Species
• Weeds Gone Wild
• Exotic Forest Pest Information System for North America

State Links:

• RI DEM/Division of Forest Environment

URI's College of Environment and Life Sciences:

• College of Environment and Life Sciences (CELS)
• Cooperative Extension
• Invasive Species Research
• URI Master Gardeners' Emerging Pests
• URI Plant Protection Clinic

Non-Profit:

• The Nature Conservancy
• Forestry Images
• Global Invasive Species Database
• Invasive and Exotic Species of North America
• The Bugwood Network

Invasive Species Websites:

• National Agricultural Pest Information Systems (NAPIS)
• Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
• USDS Asian Longhorned Beetle Website