As of January 1, 2025, pesticides containing neonicotinoids will not be available for sale in retail nurseries and garden centers in the state of California. In addition, this group of pesticides cannot be possessed or used by unlicensed applicators. They can be sold only at licensed pest control dealers and applied only by certified, trained pest control professionals. As a result, they will no longer be available to home gardeners for outdoor non-agricultural purposes.
What are Neonicotinoids?
Neonicotinoids are a class of synthetic neuroactive insecticides which permanently bind to the nerve cells of insects. Exposed insects often exhibit uncontrollable shaking, followed by paralysis before ultimately dying. Commonly called “neonics,” they were developed in the mid-1990s, becoming widely used on agricultural crops, lawns, gardens, golf courses, and in veterinary flea and tick pet treatments.
Home gardeners used neonicotinoid products to help control sucking insects like aphids, scales, and whiteflies from damaging trees such as crape myrtle and citrus. Almost 150 pesticide products containing neonic ingredients are registered in California. The most common neonic is imidacloprid, but there are others including acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam. Neonics are found in products like Bayer's Bioadvanced 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed, Bonide Systemic Houseplant Insect Control, and Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer.
The new law does not apply to indoor neonicotinoid pesticide products such as ant baits or veterinary products such as flea and tick treatments for pets.
Why Are Neonicotinoids Banned?
Neonicotinoids is a broad-based pesticide that does not discriminate between insects that cause plant damage and beneficial ones including important pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
Neonics are systemic, highly water-soluble pesticides which are usually applied to the soil and absorbed by growing plants from their roots, moving throughout the plant; the coating on seeds also absorbs the chemical. All parts of the plant thus contain the chemical, including its nectar, pollen, leaves, stems, and fruit. Once in the soil, they can travel long distances, including being transported into aquifers and waterways, possibly affecting wildlife in rivers, streams and wetlands, and can remain active for years.
An assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 2023 concluded widespread use of neonicotinoids has adversely affected the majority of federally listed endangered/threatened species and critical habitats (https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-05/ESA-JAM-Analysis.pdf). They have been linked to the serious decline in pollinators such as honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, as well as birds in recent years, possibly driving many species towards extinction.
The European Union, Canada, and several USA states including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington have already banned or restricted neonicotinoids for non-agricultural uses. Other countries and states are reviewing controlling the use of neonicotinoids.
Do Home Gardeners Have Alternatives to Neonicotinoids?
If you still wish to use a neonicotinoid pesticide in your garden, you can contact a licensed pest control professional. If you want to find an alternative pesticide that is available to home gardeners, there are choices. While the solutions may not be quite as effective as a neonicotinoid pesticide, they should help manage your specific pest(s) and not be as harmful to the environment or pollinators.
If you know what pest is the cause of your problem, refer to the UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) Home, Garden, Turf and Landscape Pest website for potential solutions. Note that since this is a new law, be aware UC IPM may not have updated this website and still be listing neonicotinoids: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html?src=302-www&fr=3723
If you can't identify the pest affecting your plant's health, contact your local UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Our Help Line answers calls from Stanislaus County residents* Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Our number is (209) 525-6802. If you call outside of these hours, someone will get back to you within a few business days. You can also ask a question by filling out this online form http://ucanr.edu/ask/ucmgstanislaus
To safely dispose of unused neonicotinoids, contact Stanislaus County's Household Hazardous Waste Program: https://www.stancounty.com/er/hazmat/household-hazardous-waste.shtm
References
California state notice of new pesticide law: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pressrls/2024/100124.htm
UC ANR Pests in the Urban Landscape information on Neonicotinoids Purchases in 2025: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=60986
Understanding neonicotinoids: https://xerces.org/pesticides/understanding-neonicotinoids
Neonicotinoids effects: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/neonicotinoids-101-effects-humans-and-bees
Neonicotinoids effects on species: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/lucas-rhoads/epa-neonics-likely-driving-200-species-toward-extinction
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2020
*If you don't live in Stanislaus County, but are in California, use this link to find your local program https://mg.ucanr.edu/volunteer/FindUs/ For other states, look up your local cooperative extension office online.
- Author: Barbara Kissinger Santos
There are six key reasons to prune fruit trees:
- Control size for easier care in maintaining and picking fruit
- Increase strength – develop strong limb structure
- Distribute sunlight evenly throughout the tree
- Regulate fruit bearing – remove excess fruitwood
- Renew fruitwood – to continue strong buds and flowers
- Remove undesirable wood- dead, broken, and crossing branches
How to prune?
Use the correct tools. For mature trees you should have hand-pruning shears, lopping shears with 24-to-30-inch handles and for larger, mature trees, a pruning saw with an 8-to-15-inch curved blade and wide set teeth. If your tree is mature and you cannot reach the top of the tree from the ground, you will also need an orchard (tripod) ladder. Folding and extension ladders are unsafe and not designed for unstable ground or tree work.
Two Types of Cuts
- Thinning cuts are used to remove lateral branches at their origin or to shorten branch length by cutting to another lateral that is a minimum of 1/3 the width of the branch section being removed. Lateral cuts should be angled and done just outside of the branch bark ridge and branch collar. Cutting into the branch collar can damage the plant and cause decay.
- Heading cuts are when a plant is cut back to a stub, lateral bud or small lateral branch. When heading back to a lateral bud or small lateral branch, the cut should be made at approximately a 45* angle away from the bud or branch and ¼ inch above it. Heading cuts may result in a flush of vigorous, upright growth. Note the three sets of three branches starting just below a heading cut.
The strongest growth goes to the terminal bud. When cut, the lateral bud becomes the terminal bud, and growth continues in that direction. You can use your pruning cuts to direct the growth of the tree, and to keep it short enough for easy picking of fruit.
Tips for proper pruning
- Prune fruit trees when the leaves are off (dormant). It's easier to see what you are doing and removal of dormant buds (growing points) invigorates the remaining buds. Summer pruning removes leaves (where the plant's food is manufactured), will slow fruit ripening, and exposes fruit to sunburn. Summer pruning can be beneficial, however, when used to slow down overly vigorous trees or trees that are too large. It is usually done just after harvest.
- When deciding which branch to cut and where to cut it, remember that topping a vertical branch encourages vegetative growth necessary for development of the tree and opens the tree to more sunlight. Topping horizontal branches is done to renew fruiting wood and to thin off excessive fruit. Horizontal branches left uncut will bear earlier and heavier crops.
- Upright branches generally remain vegetative and vigorous. Horizontal branches generally are more fruitful. A good combination of the two is necessary, for fruiting now and in future years. Remove suckers, water sprouts and most competing branches growing straight up into the tree. Downward bending branches eventually lose vigor and produce only a few small fruit; cut off the part hanging down.
- New growth occurs right where you make the cut; the cut only affects the buds within 1 to 8 inches of the cut surface not 3 to 4 feet down into the tree. The more buds removed, the more vigorous the new shoots will be.
- Do most of the pruning in the top of the tree so that the lower branches are exposed to sunlight. Sun exposed wood remains fruitful and produces the largest fruit. Shaded branches eventually stop fruiting and will never produce without drastic topping and renewal of the entire tree.
- Use spreaders or tie downs to get 45° angles branches of upright vigorous growing trees.
For peach and nectarine trees, remove 50% of last year's growth. For fig, apple, pear, plum and apricot, remove about 20% of last years' growth. For cherries and apricots, only prune in summer for the first 5 years.
Resources:
The California Backyard Orchard https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Pruning_&_Training/
California Master Gardener Handbook.
Barbara Kissinger Santos has been a UC Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2024
There's still space in our Tool Maintenance Workshop this Saturday, January 11, 2025 that starts at 9:00 a.m.
See live demos to help you better understand the process and get your questions about tool maintenance answered. Another important topic covered is how to keep tools clean and sanitized to prevent the spread of pathogens.
Hope to see you there!
Where: Agricultural Center, Harvest Hall rooms D&E*
Address: 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, 95358.
When: Saturday, January 11, 2025 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: FREE
Instructors: Tim Long & Bill DiCristina, UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners
Sign Up**: https://ucanr.edu/tools/2025 you can also see details at https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Calendar/
Questions? (209) 525-6862
*flyer says AB&C, class is in rooms D&E.
**printed handouts available for those who sign up (before Thursday, Jan 9), supplies limited.
If you are considering planting one or adding to your collection, come to our class to learn how to grow these tasty fruits, including pruning tips (wait, don't prune your trees in winter!) when to fertilize, and the best time to harvest citrus.
We hope to see you at one of our library locations. For a list of our classes, you can visit our website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Calendar/
Garden tools looking sad? Your hula hoe doesn't dance anymore? Got rust on your shovel?
Join the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners next month for an experience that's sure to not be dull! Learn how to sharpen common garden tools such as hoes, shovels, pruners, loppers, and hula hoes so you can go home and sharpen the tools in your shed.
See live demos to help you better understand the process and get your questions about tool maintenance answered. Another important topic covered is how to keep tools clean and sanitized to prevent the spread of pathogens.
Hope to see you there!
Where: Agricultural Center, Harvest Hall rooms D&E*
Address: 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, 95358.
When: Saturday, January 11, 2025 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: FREE
Instructors: Tim Long & Bill DiCristina, UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners
Sign Up**: https://ucanr.edu/tools/2025 you can also see details at https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Calendar/
Questions? (209) 525-6862
*flyer says AB&C, class is in rooms D&E.
**printed handouts available for those who sign up, supplies limited.
