Sevin Liquid Treatment – How Long Until I Can Harvest Figs?

Q: After treatment of my fig trees with Sevin liquid, how long should I wait before harvesting?

A: You’ll have to wait a long time since Sevin is not labeled for use on figs. And because the label is the law, I can’t tell you how to use it on your fig bush. In researching the answer to your question, I got a real shock. The Sevin that gardeners have used for decades as an insecticidal dust or liquid no longer contains carbaryl. The Sevin dust found now at garden centers contains bifenthrin, Sevin RTU contains lambda-cyhalothrin, the active ingredient in Sevin lawn granules is zeta cypermethrin. These ingredients are pyethroid chemicals. Carbaryl is a carbamate. For various reasons, the company that owns the Sevin trademark has chosen to use pyrethroids in its consumer-grade products. Carbaryl is still available to professionals.