The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Carbaryl (1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate) (CAS 63-25-2)
- Chemical class
- Carbamate insecticide.[2]
- Mode of action
- IRAC Group 1A: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: carbamates[3]
- Signal word
- Sevin Brand Carbaryl Insecticide 5% Dust (SA-50 Brand Sevin 5% Dust): Caution[4]
How it works
When insects eat or touch carbaryl it overstimulates their nervous systems by stopping the enzyme that normally breaks down the nerve-signaling chemical acetylcholine.[1]
Carbaryl is in IRAC Group 1A, the carbamates; it is a different mode of action from the pyrethroids in Group 3A, which makes it a rotation partner for resistance management.[3]
Before you dust edibles
The label gives each crop a minimum number of days between the last application and harvest, for example 3 days for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, okra and eggplant.[4]
Dust lightly and evenly over the upper and lower leaves in calm air, working backward from the far corner so you do not walk through treated plants.[4]
The label warns it may injure tender plant parts, especially when the dusting is uneven, the plants are wet, or humidity stays high.[4]
Where it is used
Sevin 5% Dust is for outdoor home and garden use only, on listed vegetables, ornamentals and lawns, applied only from its own shaker container and never on plants above chest height.[4]
The label allows no more than four applications a year on vegetables, six on ornamentals and four on lawns, at least seven days apart unless a crop direction says otherwise.[4]
Outdoors it is limited to spot or crack-and-crevice treatment except on soil, lawns and other vegetation, narrow perimeter bands and the other uses the label lists, and spot treatments may not exceed two square feet.[4]
The older Sevin RP2 liquid concentrate (EPA Reg. No. 264-334) is no longer an active registration; other carbaryl products, including granules, may be labeled for lawns.[1][5]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevin Brand Carbaryl Insecticide 5% Dust (SA-50 Brand Sevin 5% Dust)[4] | Southern Agricultural Insecticides, Inc. | 829-128 | 5.0% | ready-to-use dust in a shaker container | Caution |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shoes, socks and household latex or rubber gloves when applying it.[4]
- Wash your hands with soap and water afterward and before eating, drinking, smoking or using the toilet, and change clothes right away if dust gets inside them; wash the outside of the gloves before taking them off.[4]
2. Before you spray
- It's for outdoor home and garden use only, on listed vegetables, ornamentals and lawns, and never on plants above chest height.[4]
- Don't dust plants in bloom: the label warns it can kill honey bees and other bees.[4]
- Don't apply it during rain, on saturated soil, when an inch or more of rain is forecast in the next 48 hours, or within 25 feet of lakes, ponds, streams or wetlands.[4]
- Keep people and pets out of the area while you apply it.[4]
3. Mixing
- There's nothing to mix: it is used only straight from its ready-to-use shaker container.[4]
4. Applying
- On a calm day, shake a light, even dusting over the upper and lower leaves where you see insects, starting at the far corner of the area and working backward so you don't walk through treated plants.[4]
- Use no more than four applications a year on vegetables, six on ornamentals and four on lawns, at least seven days apart unless a crop direction says otherwise.[4]
- Uneven dusting, wet plants or long spells of high humidity can injure tender plant parts.[4]
5. After you spray
- Keep people and pets out of the treated area until the dust has settled.[4]
- Sweep any dust that lands on a driveway, sidewalk or street back onto the lawn or garden so it doesn't wash into drains, and wait the number of days the label gives for each crop before harvest.[4]
First aid
- If swallowed, call a poison control center or doctor immediately, have the person sip a glass of water if able, and don't induce vomiting unless told to.[4]
- On skin or clothing, take off contaminated clothing and rinse skin with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Carbaryl is a cholinesterase inhibitor; the label's note to physicians names atropine as the antidote.[4]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Don't cut the container open to get at the dust; it isn't refillable, so discard it when empty.[4]
From the safety data sheet
- The dust is a white powder with a chemical odor, 5 percent carbaryl in pyrophyllite clay, and the SDS uses the signal word Warning because carbaryl is suspected of causing cancer.[6]
- Carbaryl is a cholinesterase inhibitor; read all safety precautions before use and wear protective gloves and clothing.[6]
- If swallowed, call a physician or poison control center right away, rinse the mouth and give small sips of water; don't induce vomiting unless told to.[6]
- After skin contact, remove contaminated clothing and wash with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes; for the eyes, rinse with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes.[6]
- Pick up spills without raising dust and keep the product out of drains, streams and other bodies of water.[6]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
The label signal word is CAUTION: harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin, and it requires long sleeves, long pants, shoes, socks and household latex or rubber gloves when applying. Overexposure causes weakness, dizziness, sweating, pinpoint pupils, muscle twitching and nausea, and EPA has classified carbaryl as likely to cause cancer, based on tumors in mice fed high doses for two years.[4][1]
Pets
The label says not to apply it in a way that contacts any person or pet, to keep people and pets out of the area during application, and not to let them back in until the dust has settled.[4]
Bees and pollinators
The label carries a bee caution: it may kill honeybees and other bees, is highly toxic to them, and must not be applied to plants in bloom.[4]
Fish and water
The label forbids applying it directly to water, near aquatic habitats or into drains and gutters; NPIC adds that carbaryl is moderately to highly toxic to fish and highly toxic to earthworms.[4][1]
Common questions
- Can I use Sevin dust on my lawn?
- Yes. Sevin 5% Dust is labeled for cutworms, sod webworms and fall armyworms in lawns, at no more than four applications a year.[4]
- Is carbaryl a carcinogen?
- EPA has classified carbaryl as likely to cause cancer, based on 2-year studies in which mice fed high doses developed blood vessel, kidney and liver tumors.[1]
- Is carbaryl safe for bees?
- No. The label warns it may kill honeybees and other bees and says not to apply it to plants in bloom.[4]
- How long after dusting can I pick tomatoes?
- The label sets a 3-day wait between the last application and harvest for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, okra and eggplant.[4]
Sources
- National Pesticide Information Center, “Carbaryl General Fact Sheet.” npic.orst.edu/factsheets/carbarylgen.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Home and Landscape Pesticide Active Ingredients Database: carbaryl.” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/pesticide-active-ingredients-database/active-ingredient-details/?uaiKey=111 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, “IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme, Version 11.5 (Feb. 2026).” irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “SA-50 Brand Sevin 5% Dust (Sevin Brand Carbaryl Insecticide 5% Dust) label, EPA Reg. No. 829-128 (EPA-stamped, Apr. 9, 2025).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/000829-00128-20250409.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Sevin brand RP2 Carbaryl Insecticide Concentrate, EPA Reg. No. 264-334 — EPA product record (status: inactive).” ordspub.epa.gov/ords/pesticides/cswu/ppls/264-334 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Southern Agricultural Insecticides, Inc., “Carbaryl 5% Dust Safety Data Sheet (Southern Agricultural Insecticides, issued May 2015; EPA Reg. No. 829-128, the Sevin 5% Dust registration on this page; copy hosted by labelsds.com).” labelsds.com/images/user_uploads/Carbaryl%20.05%20Dust%20SDS%205-1-15.pdf (accessed 2026-10-17)