page_title: Tefluthrin
section_title: Usage
hierarchical_section_title: Tefluthrin / Usage
caption_attribution_description: English: Side-by-side comparison of adult specimens of the southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi), northern corn rootworm (D. barberi) and western corn rootworm (D. virgifera virgifera)
context_page_description: Tefluthrin is the ISO common name for an organic compound that is used as a pesticide. It is a pyrethroid, a class of synthetic insecticides that mimic the structure and properties of the naturally occurring insecticide pyrethrin which is present in the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. Pyrethroids such as tefluthrin are often preferred as active ingredients in agricultural insecticides because they are more cost-effective and longer acting than natural pyrethrins.
  It is effective against soil pests because it can move as a vapour without irreversibly binding to soil particles: in this respect it differs from most other pyrethroids.
context_section_description: All pesticides are required to seek registration from appropriate authorities in the country in which they will be used. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). A pesticide can only be used legally according to the directions on the label that is included at the time of the sale of the pesticide. The purpose of the label is "to provide clear directions for effective product performance while minimizing risks to human health and the environment". A label is a legally binding document that mandates how the pesticide can and must be used and failure to follow the label as written when using the pesticide is a federal offense.The current (2020) label for tefluthrin in the USA covers its use on field corn, popcorn, seed corn and sweetcorn and specifies the amount to be applied.
  Within the European Union, a 2-tiered approach is used for the approval and authorisation of pesticides. Firstly, before a formulated product can be developed for market, the active substance must be approved for the European Union. After this has been achieved, authorisation for the specific product must be sought from every Member State that the applicant wants to sell it to. Afterwards, there is a monitoring programme to make sure the pesticide residues in food are below the limits set by the European Food Safety Authority.
  The main use of tefluthrin is to control the larvae of corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp) and it is also lethal to cutworm and wireworm larvae. Related insects  share this susceptibility to the compound, including pests such as springtails, symphylids, millipedes, pygmy beetle, fire ants and white grubs. The advantage to the farmer comes in the form of improved yield at harvest. Farmers can act in their best economic interest: the value of the additional yield can be estimated and the total cost of using the insecticide informs the decision to purchase. This cost-benefit  analysis by the end user sets a maximum price which the supplier can demand. The estimated annual use of tefluthrin in US agriculture is mapped by the US Geological Service.
  The ability of tefluthrin to control soil pests, in contrast to other pyrethroids, is due to its relatively high volatility, which allows its vapour to move from the site of application to the surrounding soil. Its vapour pressure at 20ᵒC is 8.4 mPa while that of permethrin, for example, is 0.007 mPa.
caption: Adult stages of some Diabrotica pests controlled by tefluthrin
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