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Spinosad is a natural substance made by a soil bacterium that can be toxic to insects. It is used to control a wide variety of pests. These include thrips, leafminers, spider mites, mosquitoes, ants, fruit flies and others. Many products containing spinosad are used on crops and ornamental plants. Some of these products are approved for use in organic agriculture.

General Questions about Spinosad

What is spinosad? What are some products that contain spinosad? How does spinosad work? How might I be exposed to spinosad? What are some signs and symptoms from a brief exposure to spinosad? What happens to spinosad when it enters the body? Is spinosad likely to contribute to the development of cancer? Has anyone studied non-cancer effects from long-term exposure to spinosad? Are children more sensitive to spinosad than adults? What happens to spinosad in the environment? Can spinosad affect birds, fish, and other wildlife?

General Fact Sheet	Spinosad Video (4:19 min.) More Videos
My yard is being sprayed; can my kids go out and play? PestiByte PODCast	Time to pick the veggies! What about the residue?
How can I wash pesticides from fruit and veggies? PestiByte PODCast	"Natural or Green?" What does it mean? PestiByte PODCast

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378, or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.

Related Topics:

What are pests?

What are pesticides?

Please read our disclaimer | Contact us | About NPIC | En español

NPIC provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions. NPIC is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (cooperative agreement #X8-83947901). The information in this publication does not in any way replace or supersede the restrictions, precautions, directions, or other information on the pesticide label or any other regulatory requirements, nor does it necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. EPA.