Use of liquid insecticide formulations or addition of oily materials to spray mixtures improves safety to honey bees,Apis melliferaL. Apparently this effect was caused by greater sorption of the liquid materials on the plant surface tissues as compared with powder materials. Bees did not pick up the residues left by oily mixtures as readily as they did powders. Plastic and latex-resin additives also acted as safeners for insecticidal sprays. This was probably due to a “locking in” or coating effect which reduced the contact of bees with the insecticidal residues. Differential kill of phytophagous insects versus beneficial pollinators and predators can be achieved through use of spray additives.