Diatomaceous Earth (DE, Fullers Earth): (food grade)
DE has been around for thousands of years, and is basically a lot of small micro
-organisms that have been crushed together and broken up etc. It works by
killing insects by slitting the exoskeleton, eventually causing death through dehy-
dration. However, some people say that it can do much more than that, including
killing mites, killing intestinal worms, curing allergies, making egg quality better,
better feed conversion, curing various diseases, making for drier feces, limiting
smell etc. The supporters of DE say that you should use DE at the rate of 2% of
the food, and it can be fed to humans, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats,
poultry, guinea pigs, rabbits etc. However this has not been proven by science
and many people have achieved the same results by not using DE. MORE: It's
Diatom fossils that act as microscopic knives on the exoskeleton of all
insects. Once the shell of the insect is perforated, the DE dehydrates
the thing, and it is dead. DE is a good additive to bedding to help
reduce excess moisture, lice, mites. DE (Food-Grade) is non-toxic to
humans or pets. Some say that feeding DE to humans or pets will
reduce/eliminate worms. It does not harm the digestive tract because
the tissues there are tougher...think stomach acid...it has to be tough
stuff. It does make poo less smelly. From what I have learned, the
only drawback is that DE when inhaled, irritates the delicate lining of
sinus passages and lungs.
