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February 2006 |
Pesticide Registrations and Actions
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Agricultural
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 The Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has requested the use of the
insecticide CheckMite+®Bee Hive Control Strips (coumaphos) to control Varroa
mites and small hive beetle in beehives under section 18 of FIFRA. (FDACS letter to EPA dated 1/25/06).
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The
FDACS has requested the use of the fungicide Enable® (fenbuconazole) for
control of greasy spot on grapefruit under section 18 of FIFRA. (FDACS letter to EPA dated 1/20/06).
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 On January 12, the FDACS conditionally
registered the insecticide flonicamid for use on pome and stone fruit, potato,
cucurbit/fruiting/leafy vegetables (BeleafÒ), and cotton (CarbineÒ). The EPA registration number for the ISK
Biosciences Corp. product is 71512-9.
This is a cyanomethany trifluoromethyl nicotinamide insecticide with a
different mode of action than other products.
It is effective against aphids, thrips, leafhoppers, plant bugs, and
other sucking pests. It provides rapid
anti-feeding behavior and is non-toxic to beneficial insects. (FDACS PREC Agenda, 2/2/06).
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Non-Agricultural
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 The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) recently released a “finding of no significant impact” relative
to the environmental release of the nonindigenous fly Fergusonina turneri
Taylor and its obligate nematode Fergusobia quinquenerviae Davies and
Giblin-Davis, which are potential biological control agents of Melaleuca
quinquenervia. (Federal Register,
1/18/06).
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 On January 17, the FDACS conditionally
registered silver chloride (Instant Frog/Pool Frog) for swimming pools to
control bacteria. The EPA registration
number for this King Technology Inc. product is 53735-11. (FDACS PREC Agenda, 2/2/06)
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Other Actions
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- The EPA recently released reregistration
documents for the copper pesticides, such as copper sulfate, copper hydroxide,
etc. The document that deals with
environmental fate and effects reports concerns for nearly every group of
organisms other than terrestrial plants.
This is based upon many applications at the maximum rate. The EPA is asking for information to mitigate
this concern, which basically means they need information on copper use,
ideally by the end of February. The
Pesticide Information Office (PIO) is requesting that anybody who uses these
materials provide information regarding: use site, typical rate, maximum rate,
number of applications per growing season, application interval, timing of
applications, application method, target pests, and any other comments. The PIO will post these to the task force
representing the copper compounds as well as the government docket.
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- In a new and historically unusual
move, the EPA has classified the soon-to-be registered soil fumigant
iodomethane as “Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans at doses that do not
alter rat thyroid hormone homeostasis.”
There is compelling evidence indicating that
 iodomethane induces thyroid
follicular cell tumors through an antithyroidal mode of action (MOA). Although the fumigant has been shown to be
mutagenic in vitro, the weight of evidence supports the antithyroidal
MOA, as evidence by the observation that only male rodents exhibit increases in
thyroid tumors, a common response for this MOA.
In addition, the increases of cell growth (hyperplasia) progressing to
follicular cell tumors were only seen in the presence of thyroid/pituitary
hormone changes, thus exhibiting a pattern of both dose and temporal
concordance. Do to this classification,
and the fact that the material is quickly degraded or metabolized into
non-toxic degradates, the EPA has granted an exemption from the requirement of
a tolerance for iodomethane when applied as a pre-plant fumigant for pepper,
strawberry, and tomato.
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The FDACS has requested use of the herbicide penoxsulam for hydrilla management under section 18 of FIFRA. (FDACS letter to EPA dated 1/25/06).
