The pesticides Sevin and Orthene have been recommended to battle the
dasterdly Hollyhock Weevil running rampant in my garden right now. I
prefer to do battle organically, and I'm wondering if there are any
organic methods I could use instead of spraying Sevin or Orthene in my
garden.

Thanks.

Rotenone.

And pick off the pods.


"Fleemo" wrote in message
om...
The pesticides Sevin and Orthene have been recommended to battle the
dasterdly Hollyhock Weevil running rampant in my garden right now. I
prefer to do battle organically, and I'm wondering if there are any
organic methods I could use instead of spraying Sevin or Orthene in my
garden.

Thanks.

Rotenone.

And pick off the pods.


"Fleemo" wrote in message
om...
The pesticides Sevin and Orthene have been recommended to battle the
dasterdly Hollyhock Weevil running rampant in my garden right now. I
prefer to do battle organically, and I'm wondering if there are any
organic methods I could use instead of spraying Sevin or Orthene in my
garden.

Thanks.

Someone suggested Rotenone. Heres the scoop on that product.

E X T O X N E T

Extension Toxicology Network

Pesticide Information Profiles =


A Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of
Cornell University, Oregon State University, the
University of Idaho, and the University of California at Davis and the
Institute for Environmental Toxicology, Michigan
State University. Major support and funding was provided by the
USDA/Extension Service/National Agricultural Pesticide
Impact Assessment Program. =


EXTOXNET primary files maintained and archived at Oregon State
University

Revised June 1996



Rotenone



Trade and Other Names: Trade names for products containing rotenone
include Chem-Fish, Cuberol, Fish Tox,
Noxfire, Rotacide, Sinid and Tox-R. It is also marketed as Curex Flea
Duster, Derrin, Cenol Garden Dust, Chem-Mite,
Cibe Extract and Green Cross Warble Powder. The compound may be used in
formulations with other pesticides such as
carbaryl, lindane, thiram, piperonyl butoxide, pyrethrins and quassia. =


Regulatory Status: Rotenone is a General Use Pesticide (GUP), but uses
on cranberries and for fish control are
restricted uses. It is EPA toxicity class I or III - highly toxic or
slightly toxic, depending on formulation. Rotenone, when
formulated as an emulsified concentrate, is highly toxic and carries the
Signal Word DANGER on its label. Other forms
are slightly toxic and require the Signal Word CAUTION instead.

Chemical Class: Not Available

Introduction: Rotenone is a selective, non-specific botanical
insecticide with some acaricidal properties. Rotenone is
used in home gardens for insect control, for lice and tick control on
pets, and for fish eradications as part of water body
management. Rotenone is a rotenoid plant extract obtained from such
species as barbasco, cub, haiari, nekoe, and timbo.
These plants are members of the pea (Leguminosae) family.
Rotenone-containing extracts are taken from the roots, seeds,
and leaves of the various plants. Formulations include crystalline
preparations (approximately 95% pure), emulsified
solutions (approximately 50% pure), and dusts (approximately 0.75 to 5%
pure). This profile refers to the crystalline
preparation unless otherwise noted.

Formulation: Formulations include crystalline preparations
(approximately 95% pure), emulsified solutions
(approximately 50% pure), and dusts (approximately 0.75 - 5% pure).
Toxicological Effects:

Acute toxicity: Local effects on the body include conjunctivitis,
dermatitis, sore throat, and congestion. Ingestion
produces effects ranging from mild irritation to vomiting.
Inhalation of high doses can cause increased respiration
followed by depression and convulsions. The compound can cause a
mild rash in humans and is a strong eye irritant
to rabbits [2,8]. The oral LD50 of rotenone ranges from 132 to 1500
mg/kg in rats. The reported LD50 of rotenone in
white mice is 350 mg/kg [12]. A spray of 5% rotenone in water was
fatal to a 100-pound pig when exposed to 250
cubic centimeters (mL) of the airborne mixture [2]. In rats and dogs
exposed to rotenone in dust form, the inhalation
fatal dose was uniformly smaller than the oral fatal dose [2].
Rotenone is believed to be moderately toxic to humans
with an oral lethal dose estimated from 300 to 500 mg/kg [2]. Human
fatalities are rare, perhaps because rotenone is
usually sold in low concentrations (1 to 5% formulation) and because
its irritating action causes prompt vomiting. The
mean particle size of the powder determines the inhalation toxicity.
Rotenone may be more toxic when inhaled than
when ingested [2], especially if the mean particle size is very
small and particles can enter the deep regions of the
lungs. =

Chronic toxicity: Growth retardation and vomiting resulted from
chronic exposures of rats and dogs. Rats fed diets
containing rotenone at doses up to 2.5 mg/kg for 2 years developed
no pathological changes that could be attributed to
rotenone [53]. Dogs fed doses of rotenone up to 50 mg/kg/day for 28
days experienced vomiting and excessive
salivation, but no decreased weight gain [53]. Dogs fed rotenone for
six months at doses up to 10 mg/kg/day had
reduced food consumption and therefore reduced weight gain. At the
highest dose, blood chemistry was adversely
affected [53], possibly due to gastointestinal lesions and chronic
bleeding. Examination of 35 tissue types revealed
only one type of lesion that might have been associated with
exposure to the test chemical: lesions of the GI tract [53].
Reproductive effects: Pregnant rats fed 10 mg/kg/day on days 6
through 15 of gestation experienced decreased
fecundity, increased fetal resorption, and lower birthweight
[23,53]. Very high maternal mortality was seen at this
dose. The 2.5 mg/kg/day dose produced no observable maternal
toxicity or adverse effect on fetal development [2].
Fetotoxicity and failure of offspring are reported in guinea pigs at
doses of 4.5 and 9.0 mg/kg/day for an unspecified
period [2]. Thus reproductive effects seem unlikely in humans at
expected exposures. =

Teratogenic effects: Pregnant rats fed 5 mg/kg/day produced a
significant number of young with skeletal deformities
[23,53]. The effects were not observed at the 10 mg/kg/day level, so
the data do not provide convincing evidence of
teratogenicity [2,23] because the effects do not appear to be
dose-related. Thus, the evidence for teratogenicity is
inconclusive. =

Mutagenic effects: The compound was determined to be nonmutagenic to
bacteria and yeast and in treated mice and
rats. However, it was shown to cause mutations in some cultured
mouse cells [2,23]. In summary, the data regarding
the mutagenicity of rotenone are inclusive [4]. =

Carcinogenic effects: Studies in rats and hamsters have provided
limited evidence for carcinogenic activity of
rotenone. No evidence of carcinogenic activity was seen in hamsters
at oral doses as high as 120 mg/kg/day for a
period of 18 months [54]. Studies of two species of rats evidenced
no statistically significant cancerous changes in
any organ site, including mammary glands, at oral doses of up to 75
mg/kg/day for 18 months [54]. Significant
increases in mammary tumors have been reported in albino rats with
intraperitoneal doses of 1.7 mg/kg/day for 42
days [54], and in Wistar rats at approximately 1.5 mg/kg/day orally
for 8 to 12 months [54]. In the latter study,
however, higher dose rates (3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg/day) over the same
period did not produce increased tumors [54].
Thus, the evidence for carcinogenicity is inconclusive. =

Organ toxicity: Chronic exposure may produce changes in the liver
and kidneys as indicated by the animal studies
cited above. =


Fate in humans and animals: Absorption in the stomach and intestines
is relatively slow and incomplete, although
fats and oils promote its uptake. The liver breaks down the compound
fairly effectively [2]. Animal studies indicate
that possible metabolites are carbon dioxide and a more
water-soluble compound that can be excreted in the urine [2].
Studies indicated that approximately 20% of the applied oral dose
(and probably most of the absorbed dose) may be
eliminated from animal systems within 24 hours [2]. =


Ecological Effects:

Effects on birds: Rotenone is slightly toxic to wildfowl. The LD50
values for rotenone in mallards and pheasants are
(greater than) 2000 mg/kg and 1680 mg/kg respectively [50]. A
dietary LC50 of 4500 to 7000 ppm is reported in
Japanese quail [48]. =

Effects on aquatic organisms: Since rotenone is used as a fish toxin
(piscicide), it follows that it is very highly toxic
to fish. Reported 96-hour LC50s were 0.031 mg/L in rainbow trout,
0.0026 mg/L in channel catfish, and 0.023 mg/L
in bluegill for the 44% pure formulation [50]. Aquatic invertebrates
have a wide range of sensitivity to rotenone with
48-hour EC50 values ranging from 0.002 to 100 mg/L [50]. The
compound is not expected to accumulate appreciably
in aquatic organisms. The bioconcentration factor for rotenone in
the sunfish is 181 times the ambient water
concentration. In addition the highly toxic nature of this substance
to aquatic organisms means that there is little
survival of the organisms that accumulate the compound. =

Effects on other organisms: The compound is nontoxic to bees.
However, it is toxic to bees when used in
combination with pyrethrum [12]. =


Environmental Fate: =


Breakdown in soil and groundwater: Rotenone is rapidly broken down
in soil and in water. The half-life in both of
these environments is between 1 and 3 days [51]. It does not readily
leach from soil [51], and it is not expected to be
a groundwater pollutant. Rotenone breaks down readily by exposure to
sunlight [12]. Nearly all of the toxicity of the
compound is lost in 5 to 6 days of spring sunlight or 2 to 3 days of
summer sunlight. =

Breakdown in water: Rotenone is rapidly broken down in soil and in
water. The half-life in both of these
environments is between 1 and 3 days [51]. It does not readily leach
from soil [51], and it is not expected to be a
groundwater pollutant. Rotenone breaks down readily by exposure to
sunlight [12]. Nearly all of the toxicity of the
compound is lost in 5 to 6 days of spring sunlight or 2 to 3 days of
summer sunlight. =

Breakdown in vegetation: Rotenone is a highly active but short-lived
photosensitizer. This means that an organism
consuming the compound develops a strong sensitivity to the sun for
a short time. A number of photodecomposition
products are formed when bean leaves are exposed to light. It is
also sensitive to heat, with much of the rotenone
quickly lost at high temperatures. =


Physical Properties: =


Appearance: Not Available =

Chemical Name:
=

(2R,6aS,12aS)-1,2,6,6a,12,12a-hexahydro-2-isopropenyl-8,9-dimethoxychrome=
no[3,4-b]furo[2,3-h]chromen-6-one =

CAS Number: 83-79-4 =

Molecular Weight: 394.43 =

Water Solubility: 15 mg/L @ 100 C [12], slightly soluble in water =

Solubility in Other Solvents: s. in acetone, carbon disulfide and
chloroform; s.s in alcohols and carbon tetrachloride
[12] =

Melting Point: 163 C [12] =

Vapor Pressu 1 mPa @ 20 C [12] =

Partition Coefficient: Not Available =

AdsorptionCoefficient: 10,000 [51] =


Exposure Guidelines:

ADI: Not Available =

MCL: Not Available =

RfD: 0.004 mg/kg/day [30] =

PEL: 5 mg/m3 (8-hour) [23] =

HA: Not Available =

TLV: Not Available =


Basic Manufacturer:

Fairfield American Corp. =

238 Wilson Ave
Newark, NJ 07105

Phone: 201-589-0263 =

Emergency: Not Available =


References:

References for the information in this PIP can be found in Reference
List Number 2 =






DISCLAIMER: The information in this profile does not in any way replace
or supersede the information on the pesticide
product labeling or other regulatory requirements. Please refer to the
pesticide product labeling. =





Fleemo wrote:
=

The pesticides Sevin and Orthene have been recommended to battle the
dasterdly Hollyhock Weevil running rampant in my garden right now. I
prefer to do battle organically, and I'm wondering if there are any
organic methods I could use instead of spraying Sevin or Orthene in my
garden.
=

Thanks.

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - commercial
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html