Admiral Advance Insecticide

Admiral Advance Insecticide 1L: Water Based Whitefly and Scale Control

Admiral Advance is Sumitomo's EcoSolution water based formulation for the control of silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Biotype B) in cotton, cucurbits, lettuce and sweet potatoes; silverleaf whitefly and greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) in fruiting vegetables (except sweet corn and mushrooms); and various scale in citrus, mangoes and olives.

It's the water based replacement for the older solvent formulation of Admiral. Same active, same strength, but lower odour and no liquid hydrocarbon solvent load going into the tank, which makes it easier on the operator and better suited to enclosed situations like greenhouse work.

Active Ingredient and How It Works

The active ingredient is 100 g/L pyriproxyfen, a juvenile hormone mimic. This is where Admiral Advance behaves differently to what most growers are used to.

Juvenile hormone is what keeps an immature insect immature. Pyriproxyfen holds that signal on artificially, so nymphs never complete the change into viable adults, and treated adults lay eggs that don't hatch. The population stops replacing itself.

The practical consequence is that you won't see a knockdown. Adults still flying around the day after a spray is normal and doesn't mean the spray failed. What you're buying is the next generation not arriving. That's why timing matters more here than with a contact insecticide. Get it on early against young stages, not after the population has already built.

It's an Insecticide Group 7C product, so it rotates cleanly against the Group 4A neonicotinoids and Group 1 chemistry that whitefly has developed resistance to across Australian cotton and horticulture.

Where It Fits in the Program

Admiral Advance is soft on a wide range of beneficials. Sumitomo's trial work reports little to no impact on Anthocoris, Trichogramma and Chilocorus species. For anyone running IPM in greenhouse fruiting vegetables, or trying to hold parasitoid pressure on scale in citrus, that's the reason to reach for it over a broad spectrum option.

Sumitomo's own guidance is worth following too. Where whitefly numbers are still low, use petroleum oils rather than insecticides, and back the spray up with cultural work: clean up infested crops and remove alternate host plants and weeds. Admiral Advance is a tool inside a strategy, not the whole strategy.

Admiral Advance Dosage and How to Use

Rates are crop and pest specific and the registered label is the authority. Read it before you mix.

Mixing is straightforward. Measure the required amount of Admiral Advance, add it to a spray tank part filled with water, then add the remainder of the water.

In cotton, apply in 100 to 150 L water/ha through a ground rig boom spray, or 20 to 30 L water/ha aerially. Ground application must be your first option, with aerial only where canopy closure prevents ground access. Spray when industry recommended silverleaf whitefly thresholds are exceeded. Do not apply more than two applications per crop, and do not apply consecutive applications. Follow with a non-IGR product as part of the SLW resistance management strategy.

Coverage does most of the work. Whitefly nymphs sit on leaf undersides and scale hides in the canopy interior, so a rate that's technically correct with poor coverage will still underperform.

Withholding Periods

• Cotton: do not harvest for 28 days after application. Do not graze treated crop or cut for stock feed. Do not feed treated cotton trash to livestock.

• Fruiting vegetables (cucurbits and non-cucurbits): do not harvest for 1 day after application. Do not graze treated crop for stockfeed.

• Citrus, leafy lettuce, sweet potatoes, mangoes and olives: see the current label, periods differ by crop.

Treated citrus, mangoes, melons, tomatoes and olives headed for export may need a longer interval between application and harvest to meet destination market limits. Check with your exporter before you spray.

Product Specifications

• Active ingredient: 100 g/L pyriproxyfen

• Formulation: water based (EcoSolution)

• Insecticide group: 7C, insect growth regulator

• Manufacturer: Sumitomo Chemical Australia Pty Ltd

• APVMA registration: 67264

• Poison schedule: unscheduled (S0)

• Pack size: 1L (also registered in 5L, 20L and 200L)

Key Features & Benefits

• 100 g/L pyriproxyfen IGR that breaks the reproductive cycle instead of relying on contact kill

• Water based EcoSolution formulation, low odour, no hydrocarbon solvent

• Controls silverleaf whitefly in cotton, cucurbits, lettuce and sweet potatoes

• Controls silverleaf and greenhouse whitefly in fruiting vegetables, except sweet corn and mushrooms

• Controls various scale in citrus, mangoes and olives

• Group 7C, a genuine rotation partner for resistance management

• Soft on key beneficials, suits IPM and greenhouse programs

• Short 1 day withholding period in fruiting vegetables

• Unscheduled poison, no S5 or S6 handling classification

• APVMA registered (67264), Sumitomo Chemical Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the active ingredient in Admiral Advance insecticide?
100 g/L pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator classified as Insecticide Group 7C.

How does Admiral Advance work?
It mimics juvenile hormone, so immature insects can't develop into viable adults and treated adults produce eggs that don't hatch. It stops the population reproducing rather than killing insects on contact.

Why are there still whiteflies alive after I sprayed Admiral Advance?
That's expected. Admiral Advance is an IGR, not a knockdown, so existing adults keep flying. The result shows up as the following generation failing to establish over the days after application. If you need adults down as well, that's what a companion non-IGR product in the program is for.

What is the Admiral Advance dosage?
Rates are crop and pest specific and set out on the registered label, so use the label rate for your crop. In cotton, apply in 100 to 150 L water/ha by ground rig or 20 to 30 L/ha aerially, with a maximum of two applications per crop and no consecutive applications.

Where can I find the Admiral Advance label?
The current label and SDS are published by Sumitomo Chemical Australia and on the APVMA PUBCRIS database under registration number 67264. Work from the current label rather than an older Admiral label, because the two products are not the same formulation.

What crops is Admiral Advance registered for in Australia?
Cotton, cucurbits, lettuce, sweet potatoes, fruiting vegetables (except sweet corn and mushrooms), citrus, mangoes and olives.

What is the withholding period for Admiral Advance?
Cotton is 28 days. Fruiting vegetables, both cucurbit and non-cucurbit, are 1 day. Other crops differ, so check the label, and check with your exporter if the produce is going offshore.

Is Admiral Advance safe for bees and beneficial insects?
Sumitomo's trial data reports little to no impact on beneficials including Anthocoris, Trichogramma and Chilocorus species, which is why it suits IPM programs. Follow the label's pollinator and environmental precautions regardless.

What's the difference between Admiral and Admiral Advance?
Same active at the same strength, 100 g/L pyriproxyfen. Admiral Advance is the water based EcoSolution formulation, while the original Admiral is an emulsifiable concentrate carrying a liquid hydrocarbon solvent. Advance is lower odour and easier to handle.

How much does Admiral Advance 1L cost?
Current pricing for the 1L pack is shown on this page. Larger packs of 5L, 20L and 200L work out cheaper per litre if you're spraying broadacre.