# Toxic and Environmental Effects of Neonicotinoid Based Insecticides
## 7 Environmental Regulations on the Use of Neonicotinoids  
Since the early 1990s, neonicotinoids have been used in Ontario, Canada. For two decades, after neonicotinoids became available to the public, their use drastically escalated. Many patents for neonicotinoid products will be expiring in the future, and this will lead to a flood of neonicotinoid-related products that are generic copies of pre-existing products in the market. Farmers will have to pay more attention to the contents of active ingredients shown on the labels. In Ontario, Canada, labels are available for all neonicotinoids that are registered for use on the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) label site [4]. The labels clearly indicate that neonicotinoid-related active ingredients are toxic to bees, aquatic invertebrates, fish, birds, and small mammals. On the PMRA label site, the labels for all registered products can be easily identified based on active ingredients. However, Ontario farmers have an overall lack of awareness of products that contain neonicotinoids since they tend to purchase products based on brand names rather than by their designated pesticide classes. In many cases, farmers can be unaware of the properties of neonicotinoids. Within Ontario, Canada, hundreds of crops have been registered for neonicotinoid use. The types of crops registered include both'major' crops as well as'minor' crops. Examples of'major' crops include soybeans, wheat, corn, and canola. Examples of'minor' crops include field crops, greenhouse vegetable crops, and orchard crops. Neonicotinoids are also used for specialty crops, such as ginseng, turf grass, sweet potatoes, herbs, and non-food crops. They are used in golf courses, but the allowable rate is much higher compared to that for food crops. In 2008, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture conducted a pesticide census for Ontario [4]. This census does not include information on using neonicotinoids as seed treatments. Aside from the 2008 census, another study was conducted in 2014, which is more comprehensive in terms of information on neonicotinoids. Treated seeds are produced by applying neonicotinoids to seeds before they are purchased by farmers. The use of neonicotinoid products is difficult to regulate since the treated seeds are more likely to be produced outside of Ontario or even outside of Canada. In Canada, each provincial government is responsible for classifying and regulating pesticides for their sale, use, storage, transportation, and disposal. Class 12 pesticides are a class of pesticides that refer to corn and soybean seeds treated with neonicotinoids that include one of the three active ingredients discussed above: imidalcoprid, thiamethoxam, or clothianidin. Based on the Ontario regulations for neonicotinoid-related products, growers are required to follow the Pest Assessment Guideline. When growers order neonicotinoid-treated seeds, they will be required to provide evidence that mitigation strategies have been considered for the growing season. Furthermore, growers must carefully review the instructions provided on the neonicotinoid-treated seed bag, and they are required to keep record of all purchased and planted seeds that were treated with neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoid-treated seeds can only be planted in farm areas that have been clearly identified in a pest assessment report or seed amount declaration. In order to purchase products from vendors, farmers must provide the declaration, which must include information on the amount of land on which they intend to plant neonicotinoid-treated corn or soybean seeds as well as the amount of land on which they intend to plant non-treated corn and soybean seeds [40]. Integrated pest management (IPM) focuses on using environmentally and economically sustainable ways to control and manage pests. Based on IPM concepts, pesticides should be considered as the last resort after all other possible available options have been considered for pest control.