Biological insecticide DiPel DF now labeled for olives

Valent U.S.A. Corporation recently announced that DiPel® DF Biological Insecticide has received a Section 24(c) Special Local Need (SLN) label for use in the state of California on olives. This SLN label will allow California olive growers to use DiPel this season to help reduce the spread of the devastating Lobesia botrana commonly known as the European grapevine moth (EGVM). Olive plantings are common hosts for the first-generation EGVM larvae, so this SLN is especially important for areas where olive groves closely neighbor grape vineyards.

The label is welcome news in Napa County, where olive growing is adding to the diversity of the region’s agriculture, says Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer, because protecting olives from pests is good for this new industry. “Eradication of European grapevine moth is important to our entire agricultural industry,” he says. “Having an organic material like DiPel to use for EGVM control on olives is extremely important to this process.”

DiPel DF is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic production. In addition to the new SLN for olives in California, DiPel is registered on more than 200 different crops, including vegetable and fruit crops, row crops, specialty crops, and berries. Its highly selective active ingredient makes the product effective in controlling more than 55 species of worm (lepidopteran) pests without harming humans, beneficial insects, birds, fish or wildlife. DiPel has a four-hour Restricted Entry Interval (REI), the lowest allowed by law.

Under the SLN label, DiPel should be applied to olives at a rate of 1/2 pounds per acre when populations of EGVM are light. Larvae must be actively feeding on treated, exposed plant surfaces. Growers should start application at the initiation of egg hatch (black head egg stage)—ideally at the first instar—and repeat treatment as necessary.