What Are Allowable Organic Pesticides in Massachusetts?

• Get rid of pests legally and safely with organic pesticides. Paul E Tessier/Photodisc/Getty Images

  In Massachusetts, any pesticide that has the word "safe" on its container is illegal, and any product that has "EPGA REG" on its container is considered a pesticide. Products such as insecticides, herbicides, biological controls, weed and feed, organic pesticides and controls, fungicides and weed killers all fall under this regulation, according to the Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals. There are some legal, organic pesticide options.

Ecological System Management

• One of the best ways to avoid pests organically is through ecological system management. Ecological system management provides a holistic approach to pests and starts at ground level, literally. According to the Northeast Organic Farming Association, the best way to avoid the use of pesticides is through "non-chemical methods such as planting insect- and disease-resistant varieties, avoiding monocultures, building healthy soil with diverse soil life and altering growing conditions to reduce susceptibility to pests and disease." Add organic compost to your soil to increase aeration and biodiversity, which makes soil more healthy and less susceptible to pests and infestations. Plant native species; by their very nature, they are adapted to resist local pests and diseases. Create a diverse plant landscape. Not only is it more interesting to look at, if your garden does develop a pest problem, monocultural or single species plantings may be entirely wiped out if the species is very susceptible to a particular pest. In contrast, a multicultural garden with many species or varieties can better withstand pest and disease onslaughts.

Microbial Pesticides

• According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, microbial pesticides can be safer than chemical pesticides. Microbial pesticides are natural "antagonists or competitors of plant pathogens" and can include organisms such as Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as bT, according to the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Bacillus thuringiensis is an effective organic pesticide against pests such as the bagworm, or larval moths that attack shrubs and trees such as junipers, cedars, black locusts, elms, sycamores and willow trees. The Beyond Pesticides website recommends applying small amounts of bT only to areas affected with bag worms, as the microbes are toxic to other, beneficial species such as caterpillars.

Cultural Controls

• Cultural control involves making your yard or garden less comfortable for pests. Introducing competing, beneficial species to your lawn or garden is one legal, organic, cultural control method. If you've got white grubs ruining your grass, bring home some nematodes. These microscopic worms live in the dirt and naturally infect and kill grubs.

  You can introduce non-toxic structural controls. If you're having slug problems in your Massachusetts garden, a legal, organic and--arguably--humane solution is a beer trap. Simply dig a half-empty bottle of beer on its side into a shallow hole so the bottle opening is at ground level. Slugs are attracted to the smell of beer, so they crawl into the bottle, get stuck and drown. Another cultural control method is to attract other species, such as birds, that eat pests. Add bird baths, feeders or houses to your yard landscaping or plant flowers that attract hummingbirds. You also can plant species that repel certain types of pests, such as beetles. Many beetles avoid plants such as begonia, hemlock, hydrangeas, pines and poppies.