Bayer Introduces Forbid Miticide

Based on a proprietary new chemistry with a unique mode of action, Bayer Environmental Science has announced registration of Forbid Miticide for the lawn and landscape and nursery and greenhouse markets.

“Forbid is an exciting new product for control of mites and whiteflies,” says Ben Cicora, insecticides, herbicides and PGRs business manager for Bayer. “Forbid controls mites and whiteflies at all stages, has fast knockdown and offers 30 days or more of residual control. The active ingredient, spiromesifen, is a lipid biosynthesis inhibitor that prevents insects from maintaining a necessary water balance.”

Nate Royalty, Ph.D., product development manager, says that because the active ingredient is an entirely new class of insecticide, Bayer has tested it extensively for the past five years. Forbid has been tested in field trials at 18 major universities and by some of the leading companies in the industry. Those tests demonstrate that Forbid offers excellent residual – four to eight weeks for mites and six weeks for whiteflies.

“The unique mode-of-action of Forbid acts like a super-charged diet pill in the target pests,” Royalty says. “The active ingredient, a tetramic acid, blocks fat synthesis, which ultimately causes the target pest to dry out and die. This mode of action means Forbid has low potential for resistance development.”

In addition, Royalty says once applied to plants Forbid offers translaminar activity to penetrate the leaf and enter the vascular system, making the active ingredient available at the bottom of the leaf where the whiteflies and mites feed.

Royalty says that Bayer is screening molecules based on the new chemistry for possible use against other lawn and landscape pests.

Forbid 4F Miticide is a flowable formulation, packaged in six 8-ounce bottles (4 pounds of spiromesifen per U.S. gallon). It is labeled for an application rate of 2 to 4 fluid ounces per 100 gallons to non-bearing fruit trees, shrubs and flowers. Forbid may be tank mixed with sprayable fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides, however, a jar compatibility test is recommended.

For more information, visit www.bayerprocentral.com.