CAPS

The CAPS program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). 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 loss.

The CAPS Survey Committee in New York serves as an advisory group for CAPS survey activities in the state. Committee members meet several times per year to provide input on upcoming exotic pest surveys, discuss survey results and share relevant information on pest occurrences in New York. 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.

Useful Links:

http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/PI/PIHome.html. New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Divisionof Pant Industry. Pest descriptions, contact information.

http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/caps.html. Summary of the National Program.

http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/index.html. National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) homepage. Color photos.

http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/states/ny/index.html. New York CAPS Summary Page, news items, Annual Summary, Final and Semi-Annual Reports.

http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/index.html. Pest page under NAPIS includes pest alerts, fact sheets, other information for CAPS pests.

http://suddenoakdeath.org. California Oak Mortality Task Force.

Asian Long Horned Beetle: (Anoplophora glabripennis): Wood boring beetles native to China, they attack a wide variety of hardwood species including maples, elms, poplars and willows. Recent infestations have been found in New York, Illinois, and Ontario, Canada. Adult beetles are large with black and white spots and have long white and black antenna. Signs of an infection include crown dieback and mortality. http://www.uvm.edu/albeetle/

Bacterial wilt: (Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2): A bacterial pathogen that causes a wilt disease in several important ornamental and agricultural crops. Ralstonia is present in Europe, Asia, South and Central America and Australia. This pathogen was detected early in 2003 in New Hampshire and Vermont greenhouses that received imported geranium plants, and was subsequently eradicated. It can be transmitted through soil, contaminated irrigation water, equipment or personnel. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ep/ralstonia/

Brown Mamorated Stinkbug: Halyomorpha halys): The insect has been reported from Japan, China, and Korea, and doing well under conditions existing around Allentown, Pennsylvania. As it is considered a pest of apples (especially Fuji), pears, peaches, figs, mulberries, string beans, and soy beans. Stinkbugs will “hitchhike” in containers, vehicles, household moves, etc. and facilitate rapid spread of this insect out of areas like Allentown, where populations are very high. www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicles/11.1.01/stinkbugs.html

Chrysanthemum White Rust: (Puccinia horiana): A destructive disease native to China and Japan, symptoms include light green and yellow spots on the upper surface of infected leaves. Aggressive eradication programs have successfully prevented establishment. http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/cwr/cwryod1.html

Emerald Ash Borer: (Agrilus planipennis): An exotic pest of ash trees in the landscape, nurseries and wooded areas; recently detected in MI, OH, VA, MD and Ontario, Canada. Adult beetles are dark metallic green in color, 1/2" in length, and present from mid-May until late July. Larvae are creamy white in color and are found under the bark. Signs of an infection include tree dieback, yellowing or browning of leaves and epicormic sprouting. http://www.michigan.gov/mda

Golden Nematode: Recognized as one of the most difficult of all crop pests to eradicate, is a quarantined pest that was discovered in potato fields on Long Island and several areas in upstate New York. For over 50 years, the Department and USDA have worked cooperatively to preserve the potato industry in New York and to prevent the spread of the nematode. In 1999, one field on Long Island was identified and confirmed as infested with Ro2, a new biotype of the golden nematode. This strain cannot be controlled with the resistant potato varieties that have been used and found to be effective against the traditional strain (Ro1). Although not believed to be widespread, the new biotype will require additional survey and research to identify its distribution and to support the development of new potato varieties resistant to its multiplication and spread. The Department continues to monitor resistant variety use on regulated land by collecting potato leaf samples for DNA analysis.

Giant Hogweed: (Heracleum mantegazzianum): Native to the Caucasus mountains and southwestern Asia, giant hogweed is currently on the federal noxious weed list. Hogweed has been reported from parts of NY, OH, PA, MD, OR, WA, MI, VA, VT, ME, and NH. A member of the parsley family, its most impressive characteristic is its massive size, reaching a height of 10 to 15 feet when in flower with hollow stems 2-4" in diameter with dark reddish-purple spots and bristles. Considered a public health hazed, the plants sap can cause a skin reaction known as photo-dermatitis when the sap makes contact with the skin and is exposed to sunlight. http://www.mass.gov/agr/pestalert/giant_hogweed.htm

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Adelges tsugae): An insect native to east Asia, infesting hemlock trees from New England to the Carolinas. The presence of white cottony/waxy tufts that cover their bodies can be found on the bark, foliage and twigs of hemlock trees and it a sure sign of infection. http://www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk/grownet/tree-insect/hemwool.html

Leek Moth: (Acrolepiopsis assectella): larva is specialized to feed on the leaves of various plants belonging to the genus Allium. In Asia, the U.K. and Canada, the leek moth (LM) is considered a minor pest. However, in continental Europe and in Japan it has caused considerable damage, particularly to leeks. United State’s first recorded leek moth infestation was in 1939 in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/leekmoth

Pine Shoot Beetle: (Tomicus piniperda, PSB): foreign pest of pines, was discovered at a Christmas tree farm near Cleveland, Ohio, in 1992. PSB attacks new shoots of pine trees, stunting growth or may also attack stressed pine trees by breeding under the bark at the base of the trees. Adult PSB are brown or black and cylindrical, and 0.11-0.2 inches long, the size of a match-head. The legless larvae are about 0.2 inches long with a white body and brown head. PSB complete one-life cycle per year. The beetles become active as the temperatures warm in March and April, leave their wintering sites, mate and lay eggs in dead or dying trees and new stumps. Quarantine Map

Scheroderris Canker: There are two strains in North America, one of which is found in New York, and has caused serious mortality in pole-sized red and Scots pine plantations. The movement of trees grown on sites that have been found infected or exposed to infection is restricted to locations within the quarantined area. Plant material from sites within the quarantined area that have been inspected and found free of the disease received certification and were allowed to move with no additional restrictions.

Sudden Oak Death: (Phytophthora ramorum ): is a newly described species of fungal pathogen from the Peronosporales family, exotic to the United States until June 2000. SOD was found infecting Rhododendron spp. and Viburnum spp.. in Germany and the Netherlands in 1993. Currently, distribution in the United States is limited to forests in California and now nurseries in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. www.cnr.berkely.edu/comtf/pages/symptoms/introduction.html

Swede Midge: (Contarinia nasturtii): Adult swede midges emerge from the soil in the spring. Females mate and then lay clusters of eggs on young parts of crucifer plants. After hatch, larvae feed gregariously in protected areas of the plant, typically near the growing point. Mature larvae “jump” to the ground and burrow for pupation. Swede midge is found throughout Europe, from Mediterranean countries North into Scandinavia, and from the U.K east into Asian Turkey. http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/swmdg/

Viburnum Leaf Beetle: (Pyrrhalta viburni): Native to most areas of Europe this beetle was first discovered in Ontario, Canada in 1947 and in NY in 1996. Skeletonized leaves in the spring (May-June), heavily chewed leaves in the summer (July-September), and terminal twigs with characteristic egg “caps” arranged in straight rows, seen throughout the summer months, are typical of a viburnum leaf beetle infestation. Host plants include many Viburnum species (e.g., arrowwood, cranberry bush). http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/vlb/news/fs-vlb.html