Abstract Pyrethroid insecticides were applied on various vegetable crops as foliar treatments to determine dissipation rates. On Chinese broccoli (Guy Lon), Chinese mustard (Pak Choi) and Chinese cabbage (Kasumi, napa), fenvalerate was persistent with residues of 0.10, 0.14 and 0.11 mg kg −1 , respectively, by day 21. Cypermethrin residues on head lettuce were below 0.1 mg kg −1 by day 10 but on the leafier romaine and endive varieties it was more persistent and required 14–19 days to dissipate below this concentration. After three applications, residues of cypermethrin in harvested carrots and of permethrin in eggplant were not detected on the day of application. On asparagus, deltamethrin and cypermethrin residues declined to less than 0.1 mg kg −1 by days 1 and 2, respectively; permethrin was more persistent, requiring more than 2 days to decline to less than 0.1 mg kg −1 . Deltamethrin on dry (cooking) and Spanish onions was not detected on the day of application. On tomatoes, the concentration of permethrin was 0.093 mg kg −1 on the day of application and declined to about 0.05 mg kg −1 after 2–4 days. In general, permethrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin residues declined to acceptable concentrations within an acceptable pre‐harvest interval. Fenvalerate may be too persistent on these speciality crops unless a maximum residue limit >0.1 mg kg −1 is permitted. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry