NATURAL
& MINIMUM RISK PESTICIDES

Natural pesticide: a tick control product derived from a plant, mineral, or organism with little or no alteration or substantial processing.

Minimum risk pesticide: a natural pest control product meeting six criteria set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but not registered by the EPA.


​

There are a wide variety of natural products on the market that are labeled for tick control.  These include products containing essential oils (e.g., rosemary, cedar wood, peppermint), garlic juice or other ingredients that are listed as Minimum Risk (25b) by the US Environmental Protection Agency.  Products containing Minimum Risk ingredients are exempt from EPA registration and therefore are not subject to the same rigorous testing for safety and effectiveness as registered pesticides.   Learn more about Minimum Risk pesticides here.

How they work: 

EPA Registered: NO

Pros: 

Cons: Harmful to a large variety of insects and arthropods.  Not safe to use near waterbodies.

Common commercial products containing pyrethroids:

References and additional resources:
​
​National Pesticide Information Center minimum risk pesticide information (http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/natbio.html)

EPA minimum risk pesticide information (https://www.epa.gov/minimum-risk-pesticides)

EPA's complete list of minimum risk active ingredients (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-01/documents/minrisk-active-ingredients-tolerances-jan-2018.pdf)

​CDC natural tick repellents and pesticides information (https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/natural-repellents.html)

Back to Types of Pesticides