Diatomaceous earth

[Durgan]

27 May 2010 Diatomaceous earth 27 May 2007 Diatomaceous earth, This was purchased at a Seed and Feed Supplier. Cost 13 dollars for 25 pounds.

Wear a mask when dispensing. Ingesting into the lungs has dangers, similar to many types of dust.

This is a non toxic pesticide. Diatomaceous earth Attribute URL
Probably the most effective naturally occurring protective powder is diatomaceous earth. This is a geological deposit made up of the fossilized skeletons and tests of siliceous marine and fresh water organisms, particularly diatoms and other algae. These skeletons are made of hydrated amorphous silica or opal. When crushed, they break up into tiny pieces of glass” (so tiny that the material feels like talcum powder). This is easily picked up by the hairy bodies of most Insects. whereupon it scratches through their protective wax layers; and they also absorb some of this material. the result being that the insects lose water rapidly . dry up and die Further protection is provided by the powder’s property of repelling many insects. A similar principle probably accounts for the fact that birds frequently take dust baths, presumably to rid themselves of parasites.

[pat in east texas]

I have worms (the good kind) in my garden. Will DE harm them?

[Ceashels]

I'm thinking it will harm them. I know DE can't be used around fish or other insect/arachnid type of pets.

We used it to kill bedbugs in the past.

[Minicrazy]

So this stuff will kill spiders??!! I absofreakinglutley hate spiders, and am surrounded with them. The pest guy I use just recently went up on their prices a lot and my landlord is fussing about paying them. Plus I hate using the chemicals and want to go as natural as I can.

if this gets on or in my cats will it hurt them?

[Greebo]

Spiders are not insects. Their skins are different.

No, it wont hurt cats. We coat our dogs with it sometimes.

[nodmicks]

I see this used a lot for the "deep litter" method with chickens. I haven't tried it yet as I am afraid it will hurt my girls.

[zakity]

Foodgrade DE is safe to powder your animals with and it is safe to feed your animals. We use it in their food as a wormer and we dust them with it to help control fleas.

[Durgan]

Actually, it's sold as an insecticide

It may be fed to animals to remove parasites, but studies show it does not work.
It kills by dehydration, and doesn't work when wet.

Chemically it is exactly like sand in that it's main component is Silcon Dioxide, the second most common element in the Earth's crust, and most commonly found AS sand.

The emphasis is so people will learn the facts and not expect it to do things it isn't capable of.

DE is one of the most overrated products on the market, and there is a lot of false information about it on sites trying to sell it and repeated by people who don't research the truth.

But don't take my word for it:

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth"]Diatomaceous earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Quote:
The typical chemical composition of oven dried diatomaceous earth is 80 to 90% silica, with 2 to 4% alumina (attributed mostly to clay minerals) and 0.5 to 2% iron oxide.
Quote:
The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.[9]

Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low

Silicon Dioxide (Si02) from READE

Quote:
1) The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica (from the Latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of SiO2 and has been known for its hardness since antiquity. Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz, as well as in the cell walls of diatoms. Silica is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust.
Quote:
Silica is noncombustible, colorless or white and is in a crystal form. High purity sand, almost entirely composed of silica, is a major industrial commodity. Silica sand products are marketed in a wide range of grades, including extremely fine grades known as flours.
Parasite Control

Quote:
There have been 4 or 5 scientific studies and the data consistently show that diatomaceous earth does not kill worms in goats although one study did show that at a very high level (5% of the diet), it had a slight effect.

There is speculation that it may help fecal pellets to dry out faster which could reduce the success of eggs developing into infective L3 larvae. Research conducted on this aspect has not been conclusive. It is very difficult to study the claim that diatomaceous earth increases the time between dewormings.
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles...parasites.html

Quote:
Currently, there is great interest in "natural" products as an alternative to pharmaceutical company products in controlling parasites.

This category includes herbal dewormers and diatomaceous earth. There are no studies that I know of that suggest that these products have any substantial effect on barber pole worm or other internal parasites

Human Nutritional Benefits of Diatomaceous Earth | eHow.com

Quote:
Scientific Evidence
There is no available scientific evidence that supports the health claims about diatomaceous earth. Dr. Risk Rasby, professor of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, states that although diatomaceous earth is known to kill insects, its effect on intestinal parasites in animals has not yet been reported.
It kills some bugs, and absorbs liquids, and that's pretty much it as far as "health" benefits go.

[Greebo]

Well it certainly killed a house full of bed bugs that we'd been battling by other means for months.

As far as that being "pretty much it" - that's a big, big, big pretty much.

[OOwl]

I've used DE in my yard for many years and absolutely NEVER seen a flea or tick on my dogs, even though they go (well, went; retired now) to dog shows and class with other dogs and to many places where they could pick up these pests. I also do not see any bugs in my home. I do not have a chemical exterminator because I have parrots and birds and can't use harmful chemicals around them. No matter what Wiki says, I will continue to use it. It's nontoxic when used correctly, it's inexpensive, and it really seems to work. No fleas or ticks in an area known for them is not placebo effect.

[Persimmon Lace]

I use it in my hen's bedding and we have been mite free and pesty insect free for 4 years. They came with leg mites and once I treated them for those then dusted using food safe DE we've not had another outbreak.

And I know several traveling friends who dust their suitcases with it outside after every trip. So far so good on the bedbugs.

[Durgan]

I use it in my hen's bedding and we have been mite free and pesty insect free for 4 years. They came with leg mites and once I treated them for those then dusted using food safe DE we've not had another outbreak.

And I know several traveling friends who dust their suitcases with it outside after every trip. So far so good on the bedbugs.

Probably a prudent precaution if one travels to accommodation in NY and Toronto. Both are bed bug capitals.

In the old days we use to swipe the old metal beds and area with coal oil to kill bed bugs. The in the Winter when very cold put all the stoves out out and let the house freeze for a time. Out mattresses were straw ticks so we would dump the straw and wash the envelope and renew with fresh straw each Fall. DDT was quite effective in killing bedbugs but no longer available.