"Does diatomaceous earth kill the queen or do you have to keep constantly applying it?"
DE ( diatomaceous earth) is a natural product is made from the fossilized remains of tiny single-celled, micro-organisms called diatoms. They existed over millions of years ago. When these organisms died, their skeletal remains became fossilized. It is the fossilized exoskeletons of these diatoms that create diatomaceous earth which provides natural benefits to agriculture and animals. Upon extreme magnification DE looks like chez cereal but razor sharp. When any kind of bug with an exoskeleton body walks through the DE it sticks to them and gets in-between their legs, neck head etc... the DE is so sharp that it with the walking movement of the bug it begins to rub off their waxy coating then the legs and heads and all body parts simply get cut off.
You have to be really persistent with the product to get it to work on Fire Ants as remember they have to walk through it and get a coating on them. Put a 3 inch circle around the hill 1/4 in depth. Reapply after rain. Do not disturb the mound or they will move the colony.
DE is also excellent to feed and give to the chickens as a natural insecticide and to rid poultry of fleas, lice and ticks. You can sprinkle it where they dust bathe.
Remember to only use FOOD grade DE.
You can also feed it to the birds studies have shown that DE improved weight gain and feed efficiency while lowering mortality rates.
Add 1 tsp of DE per cup of food. Simply sprinkle the DE on top of the feed and mix it in.
It does work on killing fleas as I have experimented by putting several dozen (combed off of my dogs) into a zip lock bag and I set it aside. I went back the next day and all of the fleas were dead.
The only think about DE is that is has to be dry to work.
I dust my dogs with it, have not had any flea problems since. I have been using it for a couple of years now.
DE is cheap and really an amazing product and 100% natural. Humans can also add a heaping spoonful into lemonade for colon cleaning. I purchase it in 50 lb bags and it lasts forever.
