The CAPS program is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). Through the CAPS Program, surveys are conducted to detect or delimit exotic plant pests - insects, weeds and diseases that are not known to occur in the U.S. or have been recently introduced through U.S. ports of entry or other pathways. CAPS surveys and other monitoring activities strive to protect agriculture and natural resources and to prevent economic and environmental losses.
The CAPS State Survey Committee in Connecticut (see below) serves as an advisory group for CAPS survey activities in the state. Committee members meet twice per year to provide input on upcoming exotic pest surveys, discuss survey results and share relevant information on pest occurrences in Connecticut. Pest distribution data from surveys and other sources provided by State Survey Committee members is submitted to a national database. This information is available for retrieval upon request.
Accomplishment Reports:
CAPS Pest Lists:
Workplans:
| 2024 Infrastructure | |
| 2019 Infrastructure | |
Useful Links:
http://caps.ceris.purdue.edu/ Summary of the National Program
https://napis.ceris.purdue.edu/home NAPIS homepage (National Agricultural Pest Information System)
http://pesttracker.org/ Pest Tracker website for exotic pest reporting
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests USDA APHIS Hungry Pests website
https://cipwg.uconn.edu/ Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
http://suddenoakdeath.org California Oak Mortality Task Force
Jacob Ricker
State Entomologist
123 Huntington Street
Telephone: 203-974-8474
E-mail Address: Jacob.Ricker@ct.gov
Raffaela Nastri
State Survey Coordinator
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
Telephone: 203-974-8481
E-mail Address: Raffaela.Nastri@ct.gov
| Name | Organization | Discipline |
| Erica Willey | USDA APHIS PPQ | State Plant Health Director |
| Raffaela Nastri | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | State Survey Coordinator Entomology |
| Olney Knight |
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection | Forestry |
| Claire Rutledge | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Entomology |
| Jacob Ricker | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Entomology |
| Victoria Wallace | University of Connecticut | Ornamentals IPM |
| Jason White | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Director | Analytical Chemistry |
| Rose Hiskes | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Horticulture |
| Nicholas Goltz |
University of Connecticut | Integrated Pest Management |
| Evan Lentz |
University of Connecticut |
Integrated Pest Management |
| Joshua Tracy |
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority |
Invasive Species |
| Charles Baker |
USDA APHIS PPQ | Supervisory PPQ Officer |
| Carole Cheah |
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Entomology, Horticulture |
| Robert Marra |
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Plant Pathology and Ecology |
| Danica Doroski |
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
Forestry |
| Kelsey Fisher | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Agricultural Entomology |
| Hany Dweck | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Chemical Ecology |
| Katherine Dugas | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Entomology |
| Ana Legrand | University of Connecticut | Integrated Pest Management |
| Elisabeth Ward | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station |
Forestry |
| Paula Wolf | The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station |
Entomology |
| Christopher Martin | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
Forestry |