What is rotenone?
Rotenone is a natural insecticide that is extracted from the roots of several different plants that grow in the tropics. While rotenone exhibits moderate to low toxicity as a garden insecticide it is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates and, in fact, was originally used by indigenous people to help capture fish. Today it is widely used by gardeners as a natural insecticide and by fish managers to kill unwanted, non-native fish from lakes. Therefore when used by home gardeners take care to avoid application to any body of water such as ponds, fountains, or streams that are home to fish.
Rotenone breaks down rapidly in sunlight so is generally less damaging to beneficial insect species than are synthetic pesticides. While most rotenone formulations are only moderately toxic to mammals, including us, some concentrated, liquid formulations are highly toxic. Rotenone is available as a powder (dust) and concentrated liquid, sometimes in combination with other insecticides.
other common names: derris
