Rotenone will kill bees and other beneficial insects. I use it against bad infestations of pests such as Mexican bean beetles, cucumber beetles and Colorado potato beetles when they are chowing down on foliage. It will kill stink bugs. I do not use it on plants in bloom which are being visited by bees or other pollinators.

Rotenone will kill fish. This is seldom a problem because, by the time it has been carried by run-off to a body of water, it usually has lost its potency.

Rotenone is not toxic to people or other mammals but don't breath it. Wear a mask when applying it in dust form.

Jim

Thanks Jim!

I have the liquid version and for something that is "organic", it sure smells a lot like something DuPont would crank out!

I wouldnt say that its not toxic. Its not approved for organic use now.

Acute toxicity
Rotenone is classified by the World Health Organisation as a moderately hazardous, Class II(18). The LD50 for rats (the amount of the chemical lethal to one-half of experimental animals) is between 132 and 1,500 mg per kilogram(19). One factor in this wide variation may be the differences in the plant extracts used(20).
The acute oral toxicity of rotenone is moderate for mammals, but there is a wide variation between species(21). It is less toxic for the mouse and hamster than for the rat; the pig seems to be especially sensitive. Recent studies have shown that in rats, rotenone is more toxic for females than males. It is highly irritating to the skin in rabbits(22), and to the eyes. In rats and dogs exposed to rotenone in dust form, the inhalation fatal dose was uniformly smaller than the oral fatal dose(23).
Rotenone is believed to be moderately toxic to humans with an oral lethal dose estimated from 300 to 500 mg/kg(24). A lowest lethal dose of 143 mg/kg has been cited in a child(25). Clinical experience seems to indicate that children, in particular, are rather sensitive to the acute effects of rotenone(26).
Human fatalities are rare, perhaps because rotenone is usually sold in low concentrations (one to five per cent formulation), and because its irritating action causes prompt vomiting. If the dust particle size is very small, and can enter deep regions of the lungs, rotenoneÂs toxicity when inhaled may be increased. Acute local effects include conjunctivitis, dermatitis, sore throat, congestion, and vomiting. Inhalation of high doses can cause increased respiration followed by depression and convulsions(27). On the basis of rabbit studies, absorption through the intact skin is low(28).

It's also a suspected contributor to Parkinson's disease.

"Rotenone is believed to be moderately toxic to humans with an oral lethal dose estimated from 300 to 500 mg/kg"

"Human fatalities are rare, perhaps because rotenone is usually sold in low concentrations (one to five per cent formulation)..."

Also because it is impossible for a human to consume a lethal dose of rotenone garden dust. Using the lower dose (300 mg/kg) and the higher concentration mentioned (5 percent) a person weighing 150 lbs. would have to eat nearly a pound (14 oz.) of rotenone garden dust for a lethal dose. Could you do that, either inadvertently or intentionally? Check my calculations. They are based on the WHO data cited above, which is heavily weighted toward the cautious side.

I can't think of any circumstances where I would consume a cupful of rotenone, let alone a whole bag of it. Given that skin absorption of rotenone is low according to the above report, making safe handling easy, I find rotenone a very safe material to use in the garden.

Jim