Pests Keep Coming, But So Do Solutions: Growth and Innovation in U.S. Insecticides

Like a 1950s B-movie, the bugs just keep coming. Fortunately, science and not military power can help today’s growers combat them. Today, insecticide manufacturers deliver a variety of solutions to solve the constantly changing variety of pests and regulatory restrictions impacting growers.

“This is a challenging yet growing market space,” explains Kathleen Seitzinger, Portfolio Marketing Manager, U.S. Insecticides, UPL. “Trend analysis places the expected U.S. agricultural insecticide market value to exceed $8 billion by the end of 2026. Economics will continue to play a part in this market segment, particularly in the ‘horseshoe’ as inputs and labor costs continue to rise along with increasing labor shortages for the specialty crop segment.”

Much of that growth, says Jacob Smith, Technical Service Representative at BASF, will come from nontraditional solutions.

“Key growth drivers for 2026 include the increasing need for safe and effective solutions,” Smith says.

Growth is an expectation shared by all the companies CropLife® Magazine contacted.

Shawna Hubbard, Regional Commercialization Leader, Corteva Agriscience, describes the insecticide market: “In one word — robust. Insect pest complexes remain in a state of flux because environmental factors and crops being grown influence insect pest species and subsequent population levels. We know some insects like plant bugs and soybean loopers will appear every year. Then we have new pests that must be addressed. In 2025, the cotton jassid emerged as a concern.”

And there are plenty of new pressures.

“There are several that have appeared in recent years and are major threats to U.S. agriculture,” says Mason Bennett, President, Sales, U.S. and Canada, AMVAC. “Spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that first appeared in the U.S. in 2014 and is now in 19 states. This pest can significantly damage grape vines, fruit and nut trees, and ornamental plants. Another invasive species that first appeared in 2025 is the two-spotted cotton leaf hopper. It spread rapidly across the Southeast in 2025, causing severe damage to cotton crops. It can also cause serious damage to other economically important crops such as peanut, okra, and eggplant. In addition, the rice market is also dealing with a new pest called the rice delphacid, which has caused hopper burn and significant yield loss on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The pest has been detected in Midsouth rice in 2025, which causes concern moving forward.”

Fortunately, insecticide providers deliver a variety of new and familiar options.

“We’re looking at a transformational year ahead in the crop protection insecticide market as numerous post-patent chlorantraniliprole registrations reach first sales,” says Jeff Wagner, Nufarm’s Vice President of Sales, Crop Protection. “Nufarm’s product development focus has been to take basic molecules and make them better, improving formulation options through rigorous field trials. Our approach to insecticides is no different.

“Our goal is to help retain the utility of important molecules through formulation strides that add advantage in years to come — while delivering dependable choice and economic upside to growers along the way,” he continues.

The outlook for insecticides in 2026 is positive overall, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few challenges.

“With commodity and fresh-market prices under pressure, cost control will steer decisions,” says the team at Rovensa Next. “We expect to see more demand for effective, lower-cost options, with many programs leaning on generics to manage budgets without sacrificing protection.

“Tighter 2026 budgets will push programs toward efficiency, with some growers making fewer sprays and others shifting to generics,” the Rovensa Next team continues. “The goal is clear: Do more with less. New biocontrols and adjuvant technologies can help the industry move forward supporting both performance and cost control.”

Market Drivers

“Insecticides are driven by two key components — acre size and pest pressure — either predicted or observed,” says Dr. Wen Carter, Product Development and Technical Agronomy Manager, AMVAC. “Regarding pest pressure, insecticide acres, and control options, 2025 was a relatively steady market for most crops; however, this was really no different than previous years … it’s always difficult to plan for what may occur across the board for crops.”

That’s the challenge — predicting the future or reacting to what appears.

“The insecticide market is driven by insect pests that farmers need to manage to protect their crop investments, as well as new technologies that make farmers more efficient,” says Corteva’s Hubbard.

“Plant bug thresholds varied across the Midsouth at one time,” Hubbard continues. “When farmers started using genetic varieties to control worms, plant bugs quickly became the No. 1 pest in cotton across that growing region. A group of Midsouth consultants and researchers accumulated plant bug data that eventually helped establish uniform plant bug thresholds.”

“With EPA reviews narrowing certain synthetics, growers are looking for pest-specific tools that meet new standards without sacrificing control,” says the Rovensa Next team. “That’s accelerating wider integrated pest management (IPM) adoption and narrowing available modes of action. This increases long-term resistance risk, which is why biopesticides are gaining traction as complementary tools alongside conventional chemistry.”

There are several additional forces pushing the insecticide segment forward. UPL’s Seitzinger outlines six:

1. There is an increase in technology-involved decision-making and applications.
2. Artificial intelligence and predictive analytics will continue to grow.
3. The continued development and refinement of “smart technology/smart sprayers.”
4. There is also an increased reliance on drone or other scouting/“thinking”/application tools.
5. A continued focus on sustainability, human/life-friendly, and biologically sourced pesticide tools.
6. A continued increase in and focus on pesticides/insecticides by EPA and other government agencies.

“The demand for insecticides that are safe for beneficial insects and natural enemies will likely continue to grow, supporting broader adoption of IPM,” says BASF’s Smith. “We expect there will also be an increasing need for products with novel modes of action to address rising insecticide resistance across multiple crops.”

Problem Pests

According to the Rovensa Next team: “In the southern U.S., two unrelated species — the corn leafhopper and the two-spotted cotton leafhopper — are now on the radar of both industry and academia, with detections noted in the Southeast.”

Corteva’s Hubbard identified a few additional insects that growers must combat.

“Plant bugs, soybean aphids, stink bugs, and loopers will most likely demand grower attention and require targeted control programs again in 2026,” Hubbard says. “Our field representatives stay in touch with industry associations, university extension personnel, consultants, and, of course, farmers to remain informed about all shifts or changes to the evolving spectrum of insect pests.

“We proactively remind retailers and growers about the importance of rotating chemistries to mitigate resistance from developing,” says Hubbard. “We work with universities that conduct pest tolerance screenings each season, and our insecticides, in general, have not exhibited any resistance concerns to date. We will continue those screenings, as well as our educational programs, to manage and prevent resistance, so growers will, hopefully, have more tools for their acres over a longer period.”

According to the team at Rovensa Next: “Resistance continues to be a concern, especially where products are overused without rotating active ingredients and Insecticide Resistance Action Committee groups. Industry emphasis on rotation has helped, but with fewer new actives coming, growers are rebalancing programs and using biocontrols to reduce resistance pressure. These tools are not just about softer chemistries — they help extend the life of the whole program.”

Changing Application

In addition to new products, the industry has seen a spate of new application approaches in the past few years.

“Advancements in insecticide application have significantly changed the industry segment in several ways,” says BASF’s Smith. “First, precision application technologies, such as drone spraying and GPS-enabled sprayers, are allowing for more precision applications and thereby reducing waste and potential drift hazards. Such precision-based applications are also helping meet EPA and Endangered-Species-Act-driven mitigation measures and nontarget impacts of insecticide applications. In essence, application advancements are making insecticide application more targeted and environmentally responsible.”

With every new delivery method, manufacturers need to explore how their solutions are affected.

“We evaluate how our products perform in new spray technologies and make grower recommendations that help them make effective applications for optimum in-field control of targeted insect pests,” says Corteva’s Hubbard. “We know which spray tip types and sizes to use for each product and how many gallons per acre of water to mix for the most effective coverage. Our insecticides are tank-mix-friendly with a broad range of other crop protection products, so farmers can be more efficient by making fewer passes across fields.”

It’s not just nozzles and tips that have advanced.

“See & Spray systems and mechanical options like bug vacuums (in specialty crops) have reduced overall insecticide use,” says the Rovensa Next team. “Rapid advances in ag drones are also reshaping application practices, especially in high-value specialty crops where timing matters most.”

Regulatory concerns are one reason for the new products, and they are also a reason for new delivery methods.

“Endangered species protections are accelerating interest in biopesticides and prompting better application practices,” says the Rovensa Next team. “We also see more focus on minimizing off-target loss with quality adjuvants.”