UC Master Gardeners
UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties
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Check Your Pesticides

Photo by Arizona Pest Management Center, University of Arizona
Photo by Arizona Pest Management Center, University of Arizona

As of Jan 1, 2025, a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids have been banned for nonagricultural outdoor use as they have been linked to a decline in honey bees and other pollinators. Although the pesticides are no longer for sale at garden centers and retail stores, you might have them at your home. Read the pesticide labels and check for one of these common active ingredients: imidacloprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid. Neonicotinoid will not be listed as an ingredient. If you have any neonicotinoid pesticides, please dispose of them properly through a local hazardous waste removal program. For more information, see this UC ANR blog.