The document explains that USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-APHIS has developed a program which pits modern computer and communications technology against the age-old problem of agricultural pest. The program is called NAPIS, which stands for the National Agricultural Pest Information Systems. This computerized data base collects, summarizes and standardizes plant pest information from all 50 states. NAPIS users can retrive the latest information on pest conditions, along with host crops, weather conditions, and geographical locations. NAPIS attempts to cap into all the pest survey activities carried on in each of the states. There are seven record types, containing a variety of individual data: crop records; location records; weather data records; genera pest records; trap catch records; diagnostic laboratory records; and beneficial organism records. It adds that a system for listing survey methods and a NAPIS user guide have been developed and will be supplement as necessary. NAPIS has grown since its inception in 1982, and is expected to expand even more. Computer technology will continue to improve, and more seekers of plant pest data will join the network. (MIBA)