Pesticide applicators know the label is the law, and the EPA’s recently released final insecticide strategy means there’s more to know.

The plan identifies protection plans for federally endangered and threatened species from the use of insecticides while providing flexibility for growers.

The EPA says that the strategy identifies 900 species listed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) that the agency will consider when it registers a new insecticide or reevaluates an existing product.

According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the strategy outlines “commonsense ways to keep endangered species safe that won’t place unneeded burden on the growers who rely on these tools for their livelihood, and which are necessary to ensure a safe and plentiful food supply.”

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973 to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems they rely on. The FWS determines which species are included in the ESA, and all government agencies must comply with those protections. Endangered Species Protection Bulletins outline geographically specific use limitations for the protection of threatened and endangered species and their designated habitats.

In April 2025, when the EPA released its final insecticide strategy. The strategy will operate through Bulletins Live! Two (BLT), a program that specifies pesticide use limitations according to geographic area with the intent of protected endangered species.

Impacted applications are Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs), areas where pesticide use may have additional restrictions due to the presence of endangered species. This results in more freedom for applicators to use pesticides – rather than outright bans, geographic and time specifics and restrictions are in place as needed.

Instructions for pesticides that fall under the new directive will be under “directions for use” on their labels. That requires applicators to visit the BLT website to check for additional limitations.

It’s up to the applicator to comply. The bulletin on the website is essentially an extension of the pesticide label, which means it’s the law.

Impacted products include herbicides and insecticides. At some point, fungicides may be under the directive. As products come up for re-registration, or when new products are introduced, they are added to the system.

Conventional pesticides are reviewed every 15 years, so over that time span, more will be added as re-registrations are due. Applicators can check the website up to six months prior to an application, and the bulletin is valid for six months.

Cheyenne Sloan, Michigan State University blueberry and small fruit Extension educator, explained more about the BLT website: “If the label directs the user to go to the BLT, you will need to know every application month and year you plan to apply,” she said. “A bulletin for each pesticide must be obtained no more than six months prior to the intended application month. If you aren’t spraying until later in the season, you might want to wait and do BLT later. Think about which months you will be spraying. Print the appropriate bulletins for each month the product will be used.”

Within the online bulletin is a map that helps users to refine a pesticide application area. The bulletin also allows users to enter the product with the EPA registration number and the active ingredient (AI). A code will indicate what the user must do, such as restrictions and/or mitigation strategies, in order to use the product.

For example, in a certain area of Michigan, Intrepid® (methoxyfenozid) cannot be applied within one mile of sandy habitats that support wild lupine plants.

Some areas of the country don’t have any PULAs. “That means the EPA hasn’t identified whether there are geographically specific use limitations,” said Sloan, “or there aren’t any geographically specific use limitations required for the product, month and location.”

BLT is designed to be fluid. “Just because there are no PULAs in your farm or in your area doesn’t mean you don’t have to print the bulletin and keep it with your pesticide records,” said Sloan. “It’s important to print it and keep it with your application records. This shows that you checked and there were no steps to take.”

The recommendation is to review the BLT early in the season because some products may have limitations will require specialized equipment or application requirements the user may not have or be familiar with.

The mitigation menu includes ways to achieve the limitations listed on the bulletin. Instructions may include runoff/erosion mitigation. Requirements are present on product labels and bulletins for the product in the BLT. In some cases, a label will direct the applicator to check bulletins. This information will outline any additional mitigation requirements.

Applicators should plan ahead for pesticide products they plan to use throughout the growing season. If any product labels require runoff/erosion mitigation, the farm and/or fields must be evaluated for an application.

Mitigation points include presence of a perimeter berm system, irrigation tailwater return and/or subsurface or tile drains. Additional questions cover whether the application is a soil injection, tree injection or chemigation (subsurface or impermeable plastic mulch), and whether the downstream area is a managed area.

“Just because there isn’t something now doesn’t mean there won’t be something in the future,” said Sloan. “We want to build habits now. As it becomes more involved, there will be more to check.”

For comprehensive information and instructions on using BLT, visit epa.gov/endangered-species/bulletins-live-two-view-bulletins.