My Ruby Red Grapefruit

Question from Elizabeth:
I have a beautiful dwarf ruby red grapefruit tree (15) gallon which was purchased yesterday. I noticed on the purchase receipt was stamped: citrus trees have been treated with Admire Pro & Movento. This tree is loaded with fruit, but I am not sure if I should eat the fruit since it has just been treated. Should I wait until the next fruit comes in to enjoy it?

Answer from Pat:
Admire Pro is an insecticide intended for protection against grubs in the soil. It is for post-harvest treatment. No I would not eat the fruit, since your tree was not treated post-harvest. It was treated pre-harvest. Too bad!

The active ingredient in Movento is spirotetramat and it is a systemic, which means the plant takes in the insecticide up and down and throughout its entire plant system including leaves, bark and of course fruit. Spirotetramat was created especially for the apple industry but of course right now citrus trees are threatened by very serious pests and no one wants them to spread so doubtless the only way citrus trees could be legally sold would be if they have been treated against the local pests, or else quarantined.

Both these insecticides are manufactured by the Bayer Company which makes many foreward-intending statements about their safety for humans. Personally I believe many pesticides supposed to be safe are not and also I think that pesticides in our food and in our environment are one of the causes of cancer and many auto-immune diseases. I would not be afraid to eat the next crop from you grapefruit tree but if I were you I would not eat the grapefruits that are currently hanging on the tree.