Efficacy of Old and New Insecticides on Cranberry Insect Pests

Four insecticides have recently been registered in cranberries. There are:
Cormoran. This insecticide from ADAMA is a mix of Rimon (novaluron) and Assail (acetamiprid). The cranberry use rate is 9-12 fl oz/acre and the label lists several insect pests including leafhoppers, blackheaded fireworm, cranberry blossomworm, Sparganothis fruitworm, and spotted fireworm. This insecticide has provided good control on leafhopper nymphs in our research trials (Table 1). This toxicity against leafhoppers is most likely due to Assail since Rimon has no toxic effects on leafhoppers. Rimon is an insect growth regulator (chitin inhibitor) that has potential toxicity on honeybee brood when foraging bees pick up residues from the field and take them back to the hive. Thus, care needs to be taken when using this product pre-bloom.

Exirel (cyantraniliprole). This insecticide from FMC has a use rate of 10-20.5 fl oz/acre and the label lists Sparganothis fruitworm, blackheaded fireworm, and cranberry fruitworm as target pests. In our insecticide trials, this product has provided excellent control of caterpillars (“worms”) (Table 1). Exirel belongs to the same class of insecticide as Altacor (diamides). I recommend using these insecticides in rotation with Intrepid and Delegate for the control of lepidopteran pests.

Table 1. Efficacy of Registered Cranberry Insecticides (New Insecticides in Bold)

+++ Excellent control, ++ Moderate-to-Good control, + Poor control, – No control; x = bee toxicity

Movento (spirotetramat). This insecticide from Bayer Crop Sciences has a use rate of 8-10 fl oz/acre in cranberries. The label lists cranberry tipworm and leafhoppers as targets. In our insecticide trials, this product has provided excellent control against cranberry tipworm. However, cranberry tipworm has not been a pest problem of cranberries in New Jersey. It provides some control against leafhopper nymphs (Movento inhibits lipid metabolism so it works best against immature insects); however, the label says to not apply until after petal fall. Because Movento has limited use in New Jersey cranberries, I did not include it in Table 1.

Closer (sulfoxaflor). This insecticide from Corteva (former DowAgrosciences) has a use rate of 2.75-5.75 fl oz/acre in cranberries. The label lists leafhoppers as target pests. In our insecticide trials, Closer has shown good-to-excellent leafhopper control (Table 1). This product cannot be used when bees are active (between 3 days prior to bloom and until after petal fall).