The Honey Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings may differ from the pollinator precautionary statements on pesticide labels. These ratings come from the UC IPM Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings and are developed independently from the Pest Management Guidelines: Celery. They are meant to provide supplementary information to help readers choose pesticides that are less hazardous to honey bee. For information about how these ratings are established, see Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings Frequently Asked Questions. Users of pesticides must always comply with all label instructions and legal requirements, which represent the minimum precautions to protect honey bee.
| Common name (trade name) | Mode of Action1 | Selectivity2 (affected groups) | Predatory mites3 | Predators4 | Parasitoids4 | Honey bees5 | Residue duration6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abamectin (Agri-Mek SC) | 6 | moderate (mites, leafminers) | H | L | M/H | I | long to predatory mites, thrips. and other insects |
| acephate (Orthene 97) | 1B | broad (insects, mites) | H | H | M/H | I | intermediate |
| acetamiprid (Assail 70WP) | 4A | broad (insects) | —7 | —8 | M | I | moderate |
| azadirachtin (AZA-Direct) | UN | broad (insects, mites) | M | L/M | L/M | II | short |
| Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. aizawai (XenTari) | 11A | narrow (caterpillars) | L | L | L | II | short |
| Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (DiPel DF) | 11A | narrow (caterpillars) | L | L | L | III | short |
| Beauveria bassiana (BotaniGard ES) | UNF | broad (insects) | L | L/M | L | II | — |
| Burkholderia spp. strain A396 (Venerate) | UNB | broad (insects, mites) | — | — | — | II | — |
| chlorantraniliprole (Coragen) | 28 | broad (caterpillars, lygus, maggots) | L | L | L/M | III | — |
| cyantraniliprole—foliar (Exirel) | 28 | narrow (thrips, leafminers) | — | L | L | I | short |
| cyantraniliprole—soil (Verimark) | 28 | narrow (thrips, leafminers) | — | L | L | I | short |
| cyromazine (Trigard) | 17 | narrow (leafminers) | L | L | L | I | none |
| flonicamid (Beleaf 50 SG) | 29 | narrow (aphids, lygus, whiteflies) | — | L | L | III | short |
| flupyradifurone (Sivanto Prime) | 4D | narrow (aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies) | L | M | L | I | short |
| GS-omega/kappa-Hxtx-Hv1a (Spear-Lep) | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| imidacloprid (Admire Pro) | 4A | narrow (sucking insects, beet armyworm, cutworms) | — | L | — | I | — |
| methomyl (Lannate LV) | 1A | broad (insects, mites) | H | H | H | I | moderate |
| methoxyfenozide (Intrepid 2F) | 18 | narrow (caterpillars) | L | L | L | II | short |
| mineral oil (JMS Stylet-Oil) | UNM | broad (exposed insects, mites) | L9 | L | L | II | short |
| oxamyl (Vydate L) | 1A | broad (insects, mites) | H | H | H | I | moderate |
| permethrin (Pounce 25 WP) | 3A | broad (insects, mites) | L | H | H | I | long |
| potassium salts of fatty acids (M-Pede) | NA | broad (exposed insects, mites) | M | M | M | III | short |
| pymetrozine (Fulfill) | 9B | narrow (aphids, whiteflies) | L | L | L | II | short |
| pyrethrins (PyGanic EC 5.0 II) | 3A | broad (insects) | — | M | M | I | short |
| spinetoram (Radiant SC) | 5 | narrow (caterpillars, thrips, whiteflies, aphids, scales, leafminers) | L | M10 | L/M | II | moderate11 |
| spinosad (Entrust, Success) | 5 | narrow (caterpillars, thrips, whiteflies, aphids, scales, leafminers) | L | M10 | L/M | II | short to moderate10 |
| zeta-cypermethrin (Mustang Maxx) | 3A | broad (insects, mites) | H | M | M | I | moderate |
| H = high M = moderate L = low NA = not applicable |
| I = Do not apply or allow to drift to plants that are flowering, including weeds. Do not allow pesticide to contaminate water accessible to bees, including puddles. |
| II = Do not apply or allow to drift to plants that are flowering, including weeds, except when the application is made between sunset and midnight if allowed by the label and regulations. Do not allow pesticide to contaminate water accessible to bees, including puddles. |
| III = No bee precaution, except when required by the pesticide label or regulations. |
| 1 Group numbers for insecticides and miticides are assigned by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC). Rotate pesticides with a different mode-of-action group number (MoA), and do not use products with the same mode-of-action group number more than twice per season to help prevent the development of resistance. For example, the organophosphates have a group number of 1B; insecticides with a 1B group number should be alternated with insecticides that have a group number other than 1B. For more information, see irac-online.org. |
| 2 Range of insect and mite groups affected by a pesticide. Broad means the pesticide affects most groups of insects and mites; narrow means the pesticide affects only a few specific groups. |
| 3 Risk of harm to predatory mites. Toxicities are generally to western predatory mite, Galendromus occidentalis. Where differences have been measured in toxicity of the pesticide-resistant strain versus the native strain, these are listed as pesticide-resistant strain or native strain. |
| 4 Risk of harm to parasitoids and general predators. Toxicities are averages of reported effects and should be used only as a general guide. Actual toxicity of a specific insecticide depends on factors including the application rate, environmental conditions, and the life stage and species of a parasitoid or predator. |
| 5 Risk of harm to honey bees. For more information, see Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings. |
| 6 Length of time residue affects natural enemies. Short means hours to days; moderate means days to 2 weeks; and long means many weeks or months. |
| 7 May cause an increase in spider mite numbers. |
| 8 Acute toxicity is low but reproductive capacity is reduced. |
| 9 Rating depends on application rate used. |
| 10 Toxic to some natural enemies (lacewing and syrphid fly larvae, predatory beetles, and thrips) when sprayed and up to 5 to 7 days after, especially for syrphid fly larvae. |
| 11 Residual is moderate if solution is between a pH of 7 and 8. |
Acknowledgments: This table was compiled based on research data and experience of University of California scientists who work on a variety of crops and contribute to the Pest Management Guideline database, and from Flint, M. L. and S. H. Dreistadt. 1998. Natural Enemies Handbook: An Illustrated Guide to Biological Pest Control, ANR Publication 3386.
Text Updated: 09/25