Pollinators are important for food production and healthy ecosystems, and a decline in their populations affects us all. One of the challenges insect pollinators face is exposure to insecticides. Insecticide applications are an important management tool in controlling pest populations. Their use, however, comes with the responsibility to follow the label and select a product that will best control the target pest, while minimizing harm to humans and the environment.
- Pollinator Lethal Pesticides: A new list of pesticides as required in state statute for Pesticide Application in Cities (MINN. STAT. §18B.09).
- Bee Toxicity Table: An overview of the lethal doses for a short list of insecticides which results in 50% mortality to honey bees in the test population
NEW: Watch this short video to learn about how to protect pollinators when using turf and ornamental pesticides.
Watch this short video to learn about how to protect pollinators when using agricultural pesticides.
As part of an effort to reduce non-target effects of pesticides to pollinators, a special registration review has been conducted on neonicotinoids – a commonly used class of pesticides in Minnesota. Many of the action steps which resulted from this review aim towards protecting pollinators.
The relative toxicity of insecticides to pollinators, such as the honey bee, is important knowledge when chemical control tactics are being considered for managing pests. The Bee Toxicity Table provides an overview of the lethal dose for each insecticide which results in 50% mortality to honey bees in the test population (also known as the LD50).
| Insecticide Class | Insecticide Mode of Action Group |
Active Ingredient | Honey Bee Contact LD50 (ug/bee) | Honey Bee Contact LD50 (ppb) | Honey Bee Oral LD50 (ug/bee) | Honey Bee Oral LD50 (ppb) | Bee Toxicity Rating |
Common Product Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avermectin | 6 | ABAMECTIN | 0.0023* | 23 | 0.0044* | 44 | Highly Toxic | REAPER CLEARFORM, EPI-MEK 0.15EC |
| Benzoylureas | 15 | NOVALURON | 100 | 1,000,000 | 100 | 1,000,000 | Practically Non-toxic | RIMON 0.83EC |
| Beta-ketonitrile Derivative | 25 | CYFLUMETOFEN | 100 | 1,000,000 | 116 | 1,160,000 | Practically Non-toxic | NEALTA MITICIDE |
| Carbamate | 1 | CARBARYL | 0.00011 | 1.1 | 0.15 | 1,500 | Highly Toxic | CARBARYL 4L INSECTICIDE, SEVIN XLR PLUS, SEVIN XLR PLUS CARBARYL |
| Carbamate | 1 | OXAMYL | 0.31 | 3,100 | 0.094 | 940 | Highly Toxic | VYDATE C-LV, VYDATE L |
| Diacylhaydrazine | 18 | METHOXYFENOZIDE | 100 | 1,000,000 | 100 | 1,000,000 | Practically Non-toxic | INTREPID 2F |
| Diamide | 28 | CHLORANTRANILIPROLE | 114.1 | 1,141,000 | Practically Non-toxic | BESIEGE, ALTACOR, CORAGEN, DUPONT PREVATHON |
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| Diamide | 28 | FLUBENDIAMIDE | 200 | 2,000,000 | 200 | 2,00,000 | Practically Non-toxic | BELT SC, TOURISMO |
| Etoxazole | 10 | ETOXAZOLE | 200 | 2,000,000 | 200 | 2,000,000 | Practically Non-toxic | ZEAL MITICIDE 1 |
| Flonicamid | 29 | FLONICAMID | 100 | 1,000,000 | 60.5 | 605,000 | Practically Non-toxic | BELEAF 50 SG |
| Meti Acaricide/ Insecticide | 21 | PYRIDABEN | 1.81 | 18,100 | 2.63 | 26,300 | Highly Toxic | NEXTER |
| Meti Acaricide/ Insecticide | 21 | FENPYROXIMATE | 479.8 | 4,798,000 | 118* | 1,180,000 | Practically Non-toxic | PORTAL XLO, PORTAL |
| Neonicotinoid | 4 | ACETAMIPRID | 8.1* | 81,000 | 15.1* | 151,000 | Moderately Toxic | ASSAIL 30SG |
| Neonicotinoid | 4 | CLOTHIANIDIN | 0.0275 | 275 | 0.00368 | 36.8 | Highly Toxic | PONCHO BETA, BELAY INSECTICIDE, PONCHO VOTIVO, ACCELERON IC-609 |
| Neonicotinoid | 4 | DINOTEFURAN | 0.047 | 470 | 0.023 | 230 | Highly Toxic | VENOM |
| Neonicotinoid | 4 | IMIDACLOPRID | 0.078 | 780 | 0.0038 | 38 | Highly Toxic | LEVERAGE 360, SWAGGER, GAUCHO 600 FLOWABLE, TEMPEST DUAL-ACTION, ACCELERON IX-409, MANA ALIAS 4F, SKYRAIDER |
| Neonicotinoid | 4 | THIAMETHOXAM | 0.016 | 160 | 0.00265 | 26.5 | Highly Toxic | WARDEN CX, PLATINUM, ENDIGO ZC, CRUISERMAXX |
| Organochlorine | 2 | ENDOSULFAN | 7.1* | 71,000 | 6.9* | 69,000 | Moderately Toxic | THIONEX 3EC, THIONEX 50W |
| Organophosphate | 1 | ACEPHATE | 1.2 | 12,000 | 1.37 | 13,700 | Highly Toxic | ACEPHATE 97UP |
| Organophosphate | 1 | CHLORETHOXYFOS | 0.09 | 900 | Highly Toxic | SMARTCHOICE 5G | ||
| Organophosphate | 1 | CHLORPYRIFOS | 0.059* | 590 | 0.25* | 2,500 | Highly Toxic | WARHAWK, CHLORPYRIFOS 15G, GOVERN 4E, WHIRLWIND,LORSBAN-4E, HATCHET, NUFOS 4E, CPF 4E, LORSBAN ADVANCED, PILOT 4E, AGRISOLUTIONS, MATCH-UP, LORSBAN 15G, WARHAWK, CHLORPYRIFOS 4E-AG, VESPER |
| Organophosphate | 1 | DIAZINON | 0.37 | 3,700 | 0.20* | 200,000 | Highly Toxic | DIAZINON AG600 WBC, DIAZINON AG500 |
| Organophosphate | 1 | DIMETHOATE | 0.0098 | 98 | 0.056 | 560 | Highly Toxic | DIMETHOATE 400, CHEMINOVA |
| Organophosphate | 1 | ETHOPROP | 2.58* | 25,800 | Moderately Toxic | MOCAP EC | ||
| Organophosphate | 1 | MALATHION | 0.27 | 2,700 | 0.38 | 3,800 | Highly Toxic | MALATHION 5EC |
| Organophosphate | 1 | Phostebupirim (Tebupirimiphos) | No data | AZTEC 4.67G, AZTEC 2.1% GRANULAR, AZTEC 2.1G, |
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| Organophosphate | 1 | TERBUFOS | 4.09 | 40,900 | Moderately Toxic | COUNTER 20G, COUNTER 15G |
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| Phenylpyrazole | 2 | FIPRONIL | 0.006 | 60 | 0.004 | 40 | Highly Toxic | REGENT 4SC |
| Pyrethrin | 3 | PYRETHRIN | 0.022 | 220 | 0.15 | 1,500 | Highly Toxic | AZERA |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | ALPHA-CYPERMETHRIN | 0.033* | 330 | 0.172 | 1,720 | Highly Toxic | FASTAC EC |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | BETA-CYFLUTHRIN | 0.012 | 120 | 0.05 | 500 | Highly Toxic | BAYTHROID XL |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | BIFENTHRIN | 0.015 | 150 | 0.1 | 1,000 | Highly Toxic | AGRISOLUTIONS TUNDRA EC, ANNEX LFR, CAPTURE LFR, SNIPER LFR, BRIGADE 2EC, FANFARE 2EC, SNIPER, BIFEN 25% EC, BIFENTHRIN 2 EC, XPEDIENT FC, REVEAL, TUNDRA EC |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | CYFLUTHRIN | 0.037 | 370 | Highly Toxic | TOMBSTONE HELIOS, AZTEC 2.1% GRANULAR, TOMBSTONE, DEFCON 2.1G |
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| Pyrethroid | 3 | DELTAMETHRIN | 0.0015 | 15 | 0.079 | 790 | Highly Toxic | STORCIDE II |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | ESFENVALERATE | 0.0172 | 172 | Highly Toxic | ASANA XL, S-FENVALOSTAR |
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| Pyrethroid | 3 | GAMMA-CYHALOTHRIN | 0.0061 | 61 | Highly Toxic | COBALT, BOLTON |
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| Pyrethroid | 3 | LAMBDA-CYHALOTHRIN | 0.038 | 380 | 0.909 | 9,090 | Highly Toxic | COBALT ADVANCED, PARADIGM, WARRIOR II WITH ZEON TECHNOLOGY, LAMCAP, LAMBDASTAR PLUS, SILENCER |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | PERMETHRIN | 0.131 | 1,310 | 0.024 | 240 | Highly Toxic | PERMETHRIN ARCTIC 3.2 EC PERM-UP 3.2 EC |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | TEFLUTHRIN | 0.71 | 7,100 | 1.74 | 17,400 | Highly Toxic | FORCE 3G, FORCE 3G SMARTBOX, FORCE CS, PRECEPT |
| Pyrethroid | 3 | ZETA-CYPERMETHRIN | 0.023 | 230 | 0.172 | 1,720 | Highly Toxic | HERO INSECTICIDE MUSTANG MAX, MUSTANG MAXX |
| Pyridine Azomethine |
9 | PYMETROZINE | 200 | 2,000,000 | 117 | 1,170,000 | Practically Non-toxic | FULFILL |
| Pyropene | 9D | AFIDOPYROPEN | 200 | 2,000,000 | 100 | 1,000,000 | Practically Non-toxic | |
| Sulfoximine | 4 | SULFOXAFLOR | 0.379 | 3,790 | 0.146 | 1,460 | Highly Toxic | TRANSFORM WG, CLOSER SC |
| Tetronic/Tetramic Acid Derivative |
23 | SPIRODICLOFEN | 200 | 2,000,000 | 196 | 1,960 | Practically Non-toxic | ENVIDOR 2 SC |
| Tetronic/Tetramic Acid Derivative |
23 | SPIROTETRAMAT | 162 | 1,620,000 | 91.7 | 917,000 | Practically Non-toxic | MOVENTO |
* Refers to LD50 value of a length other than 48 hours; LD50 is not adjusted for level of concern (0.4); different values may be published in literature; values from EPA Ecotoxicity Database. Reference to trade names does not imply endorsement by the MDA; list is based on products sold in Minnesota and does not include all product names or information.
