Pure mevinphos is a colourless liquid, while technical grade mevinphos is a pale yellow
liquid with a very mild odour. It is soluble in water but very soluble in alcohols,
ketones, chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and many organic solvents.
It is both an insecticide and acaricide. The U.S. EPA grouped mevinphos as an
RUP, and hence it should be purchased and used only by certified and trained pesticide
applicators. It is not registered for use in many countries including the United States.
Mevinphos is used to control a broad spectrum of insects, including aphids, grasshoppers,
leaf-hoppers, cutworms, caterpillars, and many other insects on a wide range of
field, forage, vegetable, and fruit crops. It is also an acaricide that kills or controls mites
and ticks. It acts quickly both as a contact insecticide, acting through direct contact
with target pests, and as a systemic insecticide, which becomes absorbed by plants on
which insects feed.
