Vive Crop Protection Wins EPA Registration for Bifender Duo, a Synthetic-Biological Hybrid Insecticide
25 September 2026, Washington, D.C.: Vive Crop Protection has received federal registration from the US Environmental Protection Agency for Bifender Duo, a new soil insecticide and nematicide that combines an established synthetic pyrethroid with a biological active ingredient in a single product. The company announced the registration on September 23, 2026, describing it as a hybrid solution built to give growers two distinct modes of action against soil insects and nematodes in one application.
Bifender Duo pairs bifenthrin, a widely used synthetic pyrethroid with a long track record in soil pest control, with ProFarm, a biological active ingredient that the EPA registered as a new active ingredient in 2025. According to Vive, blending the two allows the product to attack soil insects and nematodes through separate mechanisms at once, rather than relying on a single chemistry that pests can more easily develop resistance to over time.
Marie Yeager, Senior Product Manager at Vive Crop Protection, said pairing a proven synthetic like bifenthrin with a new biological mode of action means growers get the performance they already trust, plus an added layer of protection they have not had before. Dr. Doug Baumann, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, said giving growers two distinct modes of action in one easy-to-use application is exactly the kind of value the company set out to deliver to its customers.
The federal EPA registration was granted on September 23, 2026. Vive said it expects state-level registrations, which are required in addition to federal approval before the product can be sold in individual US states, to be completed by February 1, 2027. That timeline suggests commercial availability for growers is unlikely before the 2027 planting season in most of the country, even though the federal clearance is now in hand.
The announcement did not specify which crops Bifender Duo is labeled for, describing its use only in terms of soil insects and nematodes broadly. Nematodes and soil-dwelling insects such as wireworms and grubs are persistent problems in row crops including corn, soybeans, and various specialty crops, and growers have historically had to choose between synthetic insecticides, biological nematicides, or separate applications of each. A combination product registered under a single label could simplify input decisions and reduce the number of passes needed to protect a field.
The registration adds to a small but growing category of hybrid crop protection products that blend conventional chemistry with biological components, a trend that has accelerated as regulators in multiple markets tighten scrutiny of legacy synthetic chemistries and as resistance management becomes a bigger part of product design. Bifenthrin itself is a well-established active ingredient already registered across a wide range of Vive’s existing product lines, which the company has said gives it a foundation to build newer combination products on.
Also Read: India Approves Pioxaniliprole, First Insecticide Active Ingredient Discovered in India
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