1.800.858.7378 npic@ace.orst.edu
We're open from 8:00AM to 12:00PM Pacific Time, Mon-Fri

• Health & Environment
  • Human Health
  • Animal Health
  • Safe Use Practices
  • Food Safety
  • Environment
    • Air
    • Water
    • Soil
    • Wildlife
    • Plants
• Pest Control
  • Identify Your Pest
  • Learn About Your Pest
  • Control Your Pest
  • Integrated Pest Management
• Pesticide Products
  • NPRO: Pesticide Product Search
  • Pesticide Ingredients
    • Active Ingredients
    • Other/Inert Ingredients
  • Low-Risk Pesticides
  • Organic Pesticide Ingredients
• Pesticide Incidents
  • Human Exposure
  • Pet Exposure
  • Environmental Incident
  • Illegal Pesticide Activity
  • Problem With Labels or Containers
• Emergency
  • Human Poisonings
  • Pet Poisoning
  • Spills and Contamination
  • Wildlife Poisoning / Environmental Incident
• 

You are here: NPIC Home Page Pesticide Ingredients Pesticide Types Natural and Biological Pesticides

Natural and Biological Pesticides

Many things found in nature can be used to control pests. Most of them are considered 'organic' when used as pesticides. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates some of them as 'biopesticides.' There is also a small list of 'minimum risk pesticides' that are exempt from EPA review. Click around within the image above to learn more.

• No matter how natural, all pesticides should be used with care.
• Always follow the label instructions, and take steps to minimize exposure to people, animals, and the environment.
• Plant oils can be harmful to the eyes, and people may be allergic to them.
• Metallic substances like zinc and sulfur can contaminate surface water and damage your equipment if not used properly.
• Your risk depends on the toxicity of the substance, and the amount of exposure.

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email us at npic@ace.orst.edu.

Additional Resources:

• Minimum Risk Pesticides - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Regulating Biopesticides - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Organic Pesticides - US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Directory of Least-Toxic Pest Control Products - Bio-Integral Resource Center
• Less-Toxic Product List - Our Water, Our World
• Product Toxicity Ratings - Texas AgriLife Extension

Related Topics:

What are pests?

What are pesticides?

Please read our disclaimer | Contact us | About NPIC | En español

NPIC provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions. NPIC is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (cooperative agreement #X8-83560101). The information in this publication does not in any way replace or supersede the restrictions, precautions, directions, or other information on the pesticide label or any other regulatory requirements, nor does it necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. EPA.