Although Montréal has a by-law prohibiting the outdoor use of pesticides, certain low-impact pesticides may be used at all times. Their active ingredients are considered to have low toxicity for human health and the environment.
An active ingredient is a compound that makes a pesticide effective. It may act on insects (insecticide), fungal diseases (fungicide), mites (acaricide), molluscs (molluscicide) or weeds (herbicide). To find out what active ingredient a product contains, look on the label after the "guarantee."
The following sheets list active ingredients in low-impact pesticides (this list is not exhaustive). The details found here are for information only – always check the label on any product before using it and be sure to properly identify the problem so that you can choose the appropriate product.
Low-impact pesticides:
Fungicides
- Citric acid and lactic acid
- Bacillus subtilis (strain QST 713)
- Sulphur
- Calcium sulphide or calcium polysulphide (lime sulphur)
Herbicides
- Acetic acid
- Corn gluten meal
- Iron (present as FeHEDTA)
- Mixture of capric and pelargonic acids (fatty acids)
- Phoma macrostoma (strian 94-44B)
- Herbicidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids)
- Sclerotinia minor (strain IMI 344141)
- Sodium chloride
Insecticides, acaricides and molluscicides
- Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki)
- Borax and boric acid
- Silicon dioxide (diatomaceous earth)
- Mineral oil (horticultural oil)
- Ferrous phosphide (ferric phosphate)
- Insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids or alkanolamine salts of fatty acids)
Insecticide-molluscicide
NB: This information is based on labels from pesticides registered for household use in Canada.