Pesticide Safety

Please take a moment to read the excerpt from the 'North Carolina Pest News' below on the use of a specific type of systemic insecticides...


NORTH  CAROLINA  PEST  NEWS

NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
North Carolina State University * College of Agriculture & Life Sciences of Entomology * Box 7613 * Raleigh, NC 27695
Volume 28, Number 14, July 12, 2013

CAUTION !

The information and recommendations in this newsletter are applicable to North Carolina and may not apply in other areas.
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ORNAMENTALS AND TURF

From: Steve Frank, Extension Entomologist

News About Neonicotinoid Insecticides

Neonicotinoids include products such as imidacloprid (Merit, Marathon, various homeowner products made by Bayer), dinotefuran (Safari), acetamiprid (TriStar), and thiamethoxam (Flagship). All the chemicals in this group are systemic and move to plant issue once applied. This includes nectar and pollen. These products have been under scrutiny lately due to their negative effects on pollinators. See this report: http://ecoipm.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/neonicbees.pdf

Recently there was a large bee kill in Oregon apparently due to misapplication of a neonicotinoid to a flowering linden tree. Labels typically state “Do not apply to flowering plants or when pollinators are present” or something similar. In response the Oregon Department of Agriculture has temporarily restricted use of dinotefuran while it investigates the incident. More information about this incident is in a recent article: http://www.nurserymanagementonline.com/oda-restricts-dinotefuran-use.aspx

It is important to correctly use all insecticides by professionals and homeowners.