Safari Insecticide available for use on Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Safari 20 SG Insecticide received a Special Local Need label in New York for use against the devastating, invasive pest: the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.

Under the SLN label, Safari may be applied outdoors as a low-pressure basal trunk spray on federal, state, public and private landholdings in New York. The insecticide can be applied to Eastern and Carolina hemlock trees for control of HWA and elongate hemlock scale.

"We just got HWA in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and it's already gotten into some of the more scenically important and genetically important hemlock forests we have in New York," said Mark C. Whitmore, forest entomologist, Cornell University. "We were concerned we would be unable to protect these resources, and so we applied for the Safari SLN. We just received approval and we have treatments put in place for the fall, and it's none too soon."

Safari Insecticide is a new generation, super-systemic neonicotinoid that quickly knocks down HWA and a broad spectrum of other major landscape and ornamental pests like elongate hemlock scale.

"When used as a basal trunk spray, Safari provides tree care specialists and lawn care operators with a convenient application method that has been demonstrated in university trials to be very fast and effective against HWA," said Dr. Joe Chamberlin, regional field development manager, Valent Professional Products. "With the SLN, arborists and lawn care professionals can use Safari regardless of the setting to quickly treat even the most heavily infested trees and start them on the path to recovery from HWA."