Oregon investigation cites cause of bee deaths

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced the findings of its investigation into bumblebee deaths at multiple sites in Oregon last spring, and it concludes product misapplication as the cause.

In June, the ODA issued a temporary rule restricting the use of products containing the active ingredients dinotefuran and imidacloprid in the wake of four separate incidents. One of these incidents involved a foliar application of a Valent U.S.A. Corporation product, Safari Insecticide, to European linden trees during bloom — a violation of label instructions. The ODA report concludes that the unfortunate bumblebee deaths connected to the use of Safari were the direct result of a private commercial applicator “performing a pesticide application in a faulty, careless, or negligent manner.”

As a result of the ODA’s determination of product misapplication, the applicator company in question and its representatives have been issued civil penalties totaling $1,665.

As part of its decision not to pursue making the temporary use restriction a permanent rule, the ODA requested that Valent include new language on Safari labels. This label update will apply to Safari use nationwide, and will take effect March 1, 2014.

“While the incident that took place in Wilsonville, Ore., last spring was extremely unfortunate, the outcome of the ODA investigation and its decision to allow the temporary use restrictions to expire confirm our understanding that this was an isolated incident resulting from an application that did not follow the clear product label use restrictions,” said Eric Tamichi, manager of registration and regulatory affairs for Valent.