Neonicotinoid insecticides: what Maine, Vermont, the EU and Minnesota say
Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that some places have restricted because of pollinators. This page reports what the Maine, Vermont, European Union and Minnesota sources say about them, with the dates on each page.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Each section names the agency, says what its page states and gives the date it carries. Pesticide law differs by state and province, and the product label is a separate legal document from the rules below. The guide on plant health care explains the wider programme these products sit in.
Maine
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, through its Board of Pesticides Control, says the board adopted a regulation after the Legislature passed LD 155 (Resolve Chapter 33). The page names four active ingredients: dinotefuran, clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. It says all persons are barred from using products with those ingredients on lawn, turf or ornamental vegetation around homes. The same page headlines the four as restricted use, for sale only to licensed applicators by restricted use pesticide dealers.
The page lists exemptions for wood preservation, indoor pest control and insect control on the outside of building foundations. It also names an exemption for licensed individuals treating "emerging invasive invertebrate pests" on ornamental vegetation, and says applicators may apply for emergency use permits. It defines ornamental vegetation to cover shrubs, trees and related plants around homes, but not turf or lawn. Applicators keep records the way other restricted use pesticides are recorded, under Chapter 41. The page links a yearly list of restricted use neonicotinoid products, with the 2025 list dated April 3, 2025.
Vermont
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets says neonicotinoid pesticides labeled for outdoor use are classified as State Restricted Use Pesticides, limiting purchase and application to certified applicators. The Legislature passed Act 182 in 2024. The Agency's page lists seven neonicotinoid active ingredients: nithiazine, acetamiprid, dinotefuran, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid.
The page gives a notice that from July 1, 2025 four uses are prohibited: outdoor application to crops in bloom, to soybeans or cereal grains, to certain leafy and bulb vegetables, herbs and spices, and application to ornamental plants. For trees, the Agency's reading of the statute is the relevant part. The statute (6 V.S.A. section 1101(15)) defines ornamental plants as perennials, annuals and groundcover purposefully planted for aesthetic reasons, and the Agency says its interpretation of perennials includes both trees and shrubs.
The Agency may issue a written exemption order if an agricultural or environmental emergency exists, the product would effectively address it and no less harmful practice would work. Orders last up to one year and may carry extra restrictions. The page says the Agency adopted a best management practices rule on January 23 with an effective date of February 7, 2026. Its pesticide programs page repeats the July 1, 2025 notice.
European Union
EU law reaches the product through the approval of each active substance. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/783 of May 29, 2018 changed the conditions of approval for imidacloprid. Its text says seeds treated with plant protection products containing imidacloprid shall not be placed on the market or used, except seeds intended only for permanent greenhouses where the crop stays inside for its whole life cycle. The annex adds that only uses as an insecticide, in permanent greenhouses or to treat seeds meant only for permanent greenhouses, may be authorised. The regulation tells Member States to amend or withdraw authorisations by September 19, 2018, with any grace period ending by December 19, 2018.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1643 of November 5, 2020 later set the expiry of the imidacloprid approval to December 1, 2020. Its recitals say the applicants confirmed they no longer supported renewal. The two texts above cover imidacloprid only.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture page is about treated crop seed, not tree work. It says a Ramsey County court on January 16, 2026 ordered the department to start administrative proceedings on whether its rules protect natural resources from contamination allegedly resulting from neonicotinoid-treated crop seed. It sets a public comment deadline of July 31, 2026. The page reports a question put to the public, not a rule.
At a glance
| Place | What the source says | Date on the source |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | Four named ingredients prohibited in outdoor residential landscapes, with listed exemptions and emergency permits | 2025 product list dated April 3, 2025 |
| Vermont | Application to ornamental plants prohibited, which the Agency reads to include trees and shrubs; exemption orders for emergencies | From July 1, 2025 |
| European Union | Imidacloprid limited to permanent greenhouses, then its approval set to expire on December 1, 2020 | May 29, 2018; November 5, 2020 |
| Minnesota | Court-ordered review of treated-seed rules, with a public comment deadline of July 31, 2026 | January 16, 2026 |
Other states and Canadian provinces are not covered here. A state pesticide office or the licensing offices in the guide on pesticide licences are the places that answer for a given location.
Sources
- Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Board of Pesticides Control, neonicotinoids page, read October 9, 2026
- Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, neonicotinoids in Vermont, read October 9, 2026
- Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, pesticide programs, read October 9, 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/783 on imidacloprid as adopted on May 29, 2018, with its annex, read October 9, 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1643 on approval periods as adopted on November 5, 2020, with its annex, read October 9, 2026
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture, neonicotinoid treated seed public comment, read October 9, 2026