Talstar 250 EC 5L: Bifenthrin Insecticide and Miticide Concentrate by FMC

Bifenthrin Insecticide and Miticide Concentrate for Crops and Pastures

Talstar 250 EC is a broad-spectrum agricultural insecticide and miticide from FMC, supplied as a 5 litre emulsifiable concentrate. It contains 250g/L bifenthrin, a Group 3A synthetic pyrethroid, and works by contact and as a residual, controlling a wide range of insect pests and mites in registered crops and pastures. It can be used as a knockdown treatment on existing pests or as a protective treatment applied at intervals, and gives the best results when applied before pest numbers build to damaging levels.

What Is Bifenthrin Insecticide Used For?

Bifenthrin is used to control chewing and sucking insect pests and mites. Talstar 250 EC is registered for insect pests and mites in apricots, bananas, barley, canola, citrus, clover, cotton, cucurbits, faba beans, field peas, grapes, lucerne, lucerne seed crops, lupins, navy beans, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, poppies, subterranean clover, sugarcane, tomatoes and wheat, as set out in the label's directions for use.

In pastures, clover and lucerne, it's widely used against redlegged earth mite, blue oat mite, brown pasture looper and pasture webworm. The label lists the full range of pests, rates and critical comments for each crop.

Contact and Residual Action: How Long Does Bifenthrin Last?

Talstar 250 EC kills pests on contact and keeps working as a residual after application. Bifenthrin binds to soil and plant surfaces, so it can control mites before they reach the crop. In FMC trials, Talstar applied to bare earth at the 40 mL/ha label rate gave residual control of redlegged earth mite for up to 60 days in clover and lucerne.

How long it lasts depends on the crop, rate, pest pressure, rainfall and plant growth. It isn't systemic, so good spray coverage matters. Like other synthetic pyrethroids, it doesn't control lucerne flea.

Resistance Management for Group 3A Insecticides

Repeated use of any single insecticide group can lead to resistant pest populations. Talstar 250 EC is a Group 3A insecticide, so follow the resistance warning on the label, avoid relying on Group 3A products alone, and rotate with insecticides from different mode of action groups. In cotton and summer crops, follow the industry insecticide resistance management strategy for Helicoverpa.