Milbemectin ミルベメクチン

In Japan

Registration

Registered as a pesticide (first registered November 7, 1990). 7 formulated products contain it.

Main registered crops

chrysanthemum, rose, apple, fig, Japanese pear, strawberry and others (83 crop names in the registered uses)

Toxicity class

Active ingredient: Ordinary substance

Classes of the 7 formulated products (diluted products sold): ordinary substance 7

Classes under Japan's Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act.

ADI (acceptable daily intake)

0.03 mg per kg of body weight per day

ARfD (acute reference dose)

not evaluated

Evaluation

Food Safety Commission of Japan, April 22, 2014

ADI: the amount considered to have no effect on health even if eaten every day for a lifetime. ARfD: the amount considered to have no effect on health when eaten at one time (within 24 hours). Both are set by the Food Safety Commission of Japan, mainly from animal studies.

In Japan's national residue testing (fiscal 2024)

Tests are counted as pesticide × sample. Any detection counts as “detected” — it does not mean the limit was exceeded. For pesticides outside the top 20, figures are summed from the food-by-food tables of the full report.

Evaluations abroad

WHO acute toxicity class

Not listed in the WHO 2019 tables

Based on the toxicity of the undiluted active ingredient given once, mainly to rats by mouth (LD50 = the dose that kills half; the smaller, the stronger the acute toxicity). It is not an assessment of the safety of residues in food.

EU

Approved in the EU (approval expires November 2040)

EU ADI: 0.007 mg/kg bw/day; ARfD: 0.03 mg/kg bw

IARC (carcinogenicity)

No matching entry in the IARC list (not evaluated or out of scope, including Group 3)

Good to know

• An acaricide made from a substance produced by actinomycetes. One of the pesticides allowed under organic JAS.

Related explainers

• What does “無農薬” (pesticide-free) mean? Why it cannot be labeled, and organic JAS vs. specially cultivated
• Most and least toxic pesticides, ranked (acute toxicity, ADI, carcinogenicity)
• How are maximum residue limits set? Japan’s positive list system and how much we actually eat

Sources

• FAMIC (Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center), pesticide registration information (as of Sept. 30, 2026) (Japanese)
• Food Safety Commission of Japan, risk assessment report on Milbemectin (April 22, 2014) (Japanese)
• MHLW, results of pesticide residue testing in foods, fiscal 2024 (Japanese)
• EU Pesticides Database (Milbemectin)

Last checked 2026-10-01. Registrations and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

Other Macrolides and spinosyns

• Spinosad
• Spinetoram
• Emamectin Benzoate
• Abamectin