Insecticides Currently Used on Vegetables1
The following table lists many of the common insecticides currently labeled for use on vegetables in Florida. A number of new materials have been registered in the past few years or have had additional crops added to their labels. Some older organophosphate insecticides are now restricted to just a few crops, a result of recent rulings related to the Food Quality Protection Act. Changes continue, thus this listing may not be totally accurate at the time of printing.
No attempt has been made to list all available formulations. Some are listed under "Signal Word," when different formulations differ in toxicity. Many of the listed insecticides are limited to specific vegetables. Specific crop recommendations and pesticide labels should be consulted for more detailed information.
Insects can become resistant to any insecticide if it is used repeatedly. This also applies to alternating insecticides with similar modes of action, for example following a soil application of Admire with foliar applications of Actara or Assail (all neonicotinoids). To complicate matters, some insecticides in the same class have different modes of action and some unrelated chemicals have the same mode of action. In general, pesticides with the same mode of action should be used no more than twice in any crop cycle if residual activity is short and only once if residual activity is long. To aid in developing a spray program we have included a column with a code number for the mode of action of each insecticide. A footnote lists the mode of action associated with the code. In addition to alternating insecticides with different modes of action, integrating other non-chemical control measures in a pest management program should help to delay resistance.
Insecticides For Use On Vegetables
Insecticide |
General Characteristics |
Signal Word |
MOA1 |
Typical Target Pests |
Carbamates |
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*Furadan (carbofuran) |
systemic action |
Danger-Poison |
1A |
beetles, some caterpillars |
*Lannate (methomyl) |
very short residual |
Danger-Poison |
1A |
caterpillars, leafhoppers |
Larvin (thiocarb) |
larvacide & ovicide |
Warning |
1A |
caterpillars |
Sevin (carbaryl) |
use can result in aphid and mite outbreaks |
Caution - 4F, XLR, Bait; Warning - 80S |
1A |
beetles, leafhoppers, caterpillars |
*Temik (aldicarb) |
systemic action |
Danger-Poison |
1A |
aphids, mites, some beetles |
*Vydate (oxamyl) |
contact action, systemic if applied to soil |
Danger-Poison |
1A |
aphids, thrips, some beetles |
Organophosphates |
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*Counter (terbufos) |
systemic action |
Danger-Poison |
1B | soil pests |
| *Diazinon | Caution |
1B |
aphids, beetles, caterpillars, soil pests, thrips | |
Dibrom (naled) |
some short residual fumigant action | Danger | 1B | caterpillars |
Dimethoate |
local systemic | Warning |
1B | aphids, leafhoppers, mites |
*Di-Syston (disulfoton) |
systemic action |
Danger-Poison | 1B | aphids |
Imidan (phosmet) |
Warning | 1B | caterpillars, sweetpotato weevil |
|
Lorsban (chlorpyrifos) |
long residual |
Caution - 15G Warning - 75WG, *4E Danger - 50W |
1B |
caterpillars, soil pests |
Malathion |
short residual | Warning | 1B | broad spectrum |
*MSR Spray Concentrate (oxydemetonmethyl) |
systemic; contact & stomach action | Warning | 1B | aphids, thrips & other sucking insects |
*Mocap (ethoprop) |
contact action | Danger-Poison |
1B | aphids, caterpillars |
*Monitor (methamidophos) |
long residual | Danger-Poison |
1B | aphids, caterpillars & other pests |
*Penncap-M (methyl parathion) |
contact & fumigant action; slow release formulation |
Warning |
1B | caterpillars, thrips |
*Thimet (phorate) |
systemic action | Danger-Poison | 1B | soil pests, thrips |
Organochlorines |
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*Endosulfan (endosulfan) |
fairly long residual |
Danger-Poison |
2A |
aphids, beetles, caterpillars, whiteflies |
Pyrethroids |
||||
*Ambush (permethrin) |
Warning |
3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
*Ammo (cypermethrin) |
Caution |
3 |
beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
*Asana (esfenvalerate) |
Warning |
3 |
beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers |
|
*Baythroid XL (beta-cyfluthrin) |
Warning |
3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
*Brigade (bifenthrin) |
Warning | 3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips, whiteflies |
|
*Danitol (fenpropathrin) |
Danger |
3 | caterpillars, leafhoppers, whiteflies | |
*Force (tefluthrin) |
Caution | 3 | soil pests | |
*Mustang Max (zeta-cypermethrin) |
Warning | 3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
*Pounce (permethrin) |
Caution - (3.2EC, 1.5G) Warning - (25WP, WSP) |
3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
*Proaxis (gamma-cyhalothrin) |
Caution | 3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, plant bugs, stink bugs | |
Pyronyl Crop Spray (Pyrethrins) |
contact, stomach, & fumigant action; extract from chyrsanthemums |
Caution | 3 | broad spectrum |
| *Warrior (lambda-cyhalothrin) | Warning |
3 | beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips |
|
Neonicotinyls |
||||
Actara (thiamethoxam) |
local systemic | Caution | 4A |
aphids, potato leafhopper, some beetles, stinkbugs, whiteflies |
Admire (imidacloprid) |
systemic, long residual |
Caution | 4A |
aphids, leafhoppers, some beetles, whiteflies |
Assail (acetamiprid) |
local systemic, ovicidal effects | Caution | 4A |
aphids, Colorado potato beetle, whiteflies |
Belay (clothianidin) |
systemic, long residual |
Caution |
4A |
Colorado potato beetle, aphids, leafhoppers |
| Platinum (thiamethoxam) | systemic, long residual |
Caution | 4A |
aphids, potato leafhopper, some beetles, stinkbugs, whiteflies |
Provado (imidacloprid) |
local systemic | Caution | 4A |
aphids, leafhoppers, some beetles, whiteflies |
Venom (dinotefuran) |
systemic or locally systemic, depending on application method, long residual |
Caution | 4A | aphids, Colorado potato beetle, leafhoppers, leafminers, thrips, whiteflies |
Other insect nerve poisons |
||||
Acramite (bifenazate) |
contact, long residual, ovicidal activity against spider mites |
Caution | un |
mites |
*Agri-Mek (abamectin) |
active once ingested; some contact action; mostly stomach poison | Warning | 6 | leafminers, mites, some beetles, tomato pinworm |
Avaunt (indoxacarb) |
ingestion plus contact, slightly to moderately translaminar | Caution | 22 | caterpillars |
Beleaf (flonicamid) |
contact & ingestion, causes rapid cessation of feeding |
Caution |
9C |
aphids |
Coragen (rynaxypyr) |
long residual, causes rapid cessation of feeding |
None |
28 |
caterpillars, Colorado potato beetle, leafminers |
Fulfill (pymetrozine) |
feeding inhibitor | Caution |
9B |
aphids, whiteflies |
*Proclaim (emamectin benzoate) |
ingestion & topical; translaminar, not systemic | Caution | 6 | caterpillars |
Radiant (spinetoram) |
ingestion & contact; enters leaf but does not translocate |
Caution |
5 |
caterpillars, some beetles and thrips |
SpinTor (spinosad) |
ingestion & contact; enters leaf but does not translocate |
Caution | 5 |
caterpillars, some beetles and thrips |
Insect Growth Regulators |
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Confirm (tebufenozide) |
slow acting |
Caution |
18 |
caterpillars |
Courier (buprofezin) |
disrupts egg hatch and molting; use in rotation iwth other insecticides |
Caution |
16 |
whiteflies |
*Dimilin (diflubenzuron) |
slow acting, disrupts molting process, reduces egg hatch of pepper weevil |
Caution |
15 |
caterpillars, pepper weevil |
Esteem Ant Bait (pyriproxyfen) |
breaks reproductive cycle of ants; slow acting but effective |
Caution |
7C |
ants |
Extinguish [(S)-methoprene] |
slow acting |
Caution |
7A |
fire ants |
Intrepid (methoxyfenozide) |
Caution |
18 |
caterpillars |
|
Knack (pyriproxyfen) |
use in combination or rotation with other insecticides |
Caution |
7C |
whiteflies |
Neemix (azadirachtin) |
slow acting, also acts as feeding repellent |
Caution - Azatin XL Plus; Warning - Neemix 4.5 |
un |
broad spectrum |
Rimon (novaluron) |
disrupts cuticle formation and deposition at molting, resulting in death of larva; no effect on adult insect |
Warning |
15 |
caterpillars |
Trigard (cyromazine) |
most effective against small leafminer larvae |
Caution |
17 |
dipterous leafminers, maggots, some beetles |
Miscellaneous |
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Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) var. aizawai (B.t.) var. kurstaki |
pest must ingest; slow acting but feeding stops long before death |
Caution |
11 |
caterpillars or beetles, depending on strain |
Cryolite (Kryocide) |
pest must ingest; not rainfast; an inorganic fluorine compound |
Caution |
un |
beetles, caterpillars |
M-Pede (potassium salts of fatty acids) |
contact activity; phytotoxic at high temperatures |
Warning |
aphids and other soft-bodied arthropods |
|
Movento (spirotetramat) |
ingestion, fully systemic in plant after foliar application |
Caution |
23 |
aphids, psyllids, whiteflies |
Mycotrol (Beauveria) |
contact; slow acting | -- | aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies |
|
Oberon (spiromesifen) |
inhibitor of lipid synthesis; most effective on juvenile stages of mites and on nymphs and pupae of whiteflies and psyllids | Caution |
23 | mites, psyllids, whiteflies |
SunSpray Ultra Fine Spray Oil (mineral oil) |
contact activity |
Caution | -- |
aphids, mites, whiteflies |
M-Pede (potassium salts of fatty acids) |
contact activity; phytotoxic at high temperatures | Warning |
-- | aphids and other soft-bodied arthropods |
| *Vendex (fenbutatin-oxide) | Danger-Poison | 12B |
mites |
|
*Restricted Use Pesticide Originally adapted from: Welty, Celeste. Insecticides for use on vegetables in Ohio. pp. 46-48, 2002 Ohio Vegetable production Guide, Ohio State University. 1Mode of Action codes for vegetable pest insecticides from the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Mode of Action Classification v.3.3 October 2003. 1A. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Carbamates (nerve action) 1B. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Organophosphates (nerve action) 2A. GABA-gated chloride channel antagonists (nerve action) 3. Sodium channel modulators 4A. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists (nerve action) 5. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor allosteric activators (nerve action) 6. Chloride channel activators (nerve and muscle action) 7A. Juvenile hormone mimics (growth regulation) 7C. Juvenile hormone mimics (growth regulation) 9B & 9C. Selective homopteran feeding blockers 10. Mite growth inhibitors (growth regulation) 11. Microbial disruptors of insect midgut membranes 12B. Inhibitors of mitochondrial ATP synthase (energy metabolism) 15. Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 0, lepidopteran (growth regulation) 16. Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 1, homopteran (growth regulation) 17. Molting disruptor, dipteran (growth regulation) 18. Ecdysone receptor agonists (growth regulation) 22. Voltage-dependent sodium channel blockers (nerve action) 23. Inhibitors of acetyl Co-A carboxylase (lipid synthesis, growth regulation) 28. Ryanodine receptor modulators (nerve and muscle action) un. Compounds of unknown or uncertain mode of action |
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Footnotes
This document is ENY-419 (IG018), one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Revised: September 2008. Please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
S. E. Webb, associate professor/extension entomologist, Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611, and P. A. Stansly, professor, Entomology and Nematology Department, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL, 34142.
The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition. All chemicals should be used in accordance with directions on the manufacturer's label. Use pesticides safely. Read and follow directions on the manufacturer's label.
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