BIFENTHRIN APPROVED AGAINST BMSB IN HUDSON VALLEY
New York’s Section 18 application for the use of products containing bifenthrin has been approved by the EPA. This is a renewal by the EPA and NYS DEC of an emergency exemption use permit (Section 18) for the pyrethroid bifenthrin to control brown marmorated stink bug on apples, peaches, and nectarines this year. The regional application request was submitted to EPA from the mid-Atlantic states of DE, MD, NC, NJ, PA,VA, WV and NY state. Bifenthrin is one of the most effective insecticides for use against the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). As was the case last year, its use is limited to Orange, Dutchess and Ulster Counties of NY. Applications should be considered as the first step in managing the insect, taking into account the 30-day interval between applications. The first application, upon trapping or observational threshold, can be made along the orchard edge, bordering deciduous woodland and hedgerow or clusters of host trees such as black locust, Tree of Heaven, maple, or ash. The need for a second application can be triggered as the insect is observed on fruit and/or captured in pheromone traps using 40 BMSB per trap per week.
Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid sold under the trade names of Brigade WSB (10% bifenthrin, EPA Reg. No. 279-3108, FMC Corp.), Bifenture EC (25% bifenthrin, EPA Reg. No. 70506-227), and Bifenture 10DF (10% bifenthrin, EPA Reg. No. 70506-227, United Phosphorus Inc.). Regardless of the product used, a maximum of 0.08 to 0.2 lb[AI]/acre/season will be allowed, with no more than 0.5 lb a.i./acre applied per year with multiple applications made at a minimum of 30 day intervals; a restricted entry interval (REI) of 12 hours and pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 14 days must be observed. When applying either of these materials for BMSB control on apples, peaches, or nectarines, growers must have possession of the Section 18 label, which can be found at: (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/regulation/sec18/2014/index.html).
