DE & Fleas??

[MamaDragon]

Does DE work for fleas?

We have sand fleas here BAD!!!!!

If DE does NOT work for fleas, anyone have any suggestions what I CAN use around kids, dogs, cats, chickens??

Advantix for the dogs only lasts about two weeks before they're covered again, the fleas are in the carpets, the chicken coop, everywhere you Dont Want them.

I used to have Terminix treat the house and yard every month, but that's $650/yr that needs to go elsewhere.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

[Cuban Longtails]

It does help, but it takes awhile for it to start working. The way it works is that it dehydrates the fleas. You have to sprinkle it everywhere and anytime the weather is wet, you will have to reapply. I didn't have the patience so I ended up using permethryn. It took two applications they were so bad here!

 

[Andora]

DE got rid of our flea problem fast! I rubbed it on my white kitten, and by the next morning he was covered in nothing but dead fleas. I also put it on our dogs, and I haven't seen them itch since. The kitten got fleas again after he had to have a bath from a poopy problem, so you definitely do have to reapply if they get wet...but I like DE a lot better than the stuff you put on their backs. We were spending a fortune in flea meds! (DE has also cut down on our fly problem around the chickens....)

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Adding Boric Acid to the DE also helps.

 

[MamaDragon]

Thank You Everyone!

Once the Advantix runs out, maybe I can do without THAT $160.00 expense (two chihuahuas) Now if there was just an alternative to Heartworm treatment I'd be all set!

I'm going to be spreading the food-grade DE under the furniture that doesn't get vaccuumed under often, dust the carpets after vaccuuming, and in/around the chicken coop, especially where they dustbathe.

I'll get some of the lower quality stuff to spread around the rest of the yard. We are overrun with ants this year, and putting down Sevin dust hasn't affected them at all! Hopefully this will.

Any suggestions as to which kind to get for general use outside??

Kathy

 

[LynneP]

Here's what does work, cheaply, for your house, barn, coop, even in restaurants:

Buy a no-pest strip, which is a wax rectangle in a frame. The wax is soaked with pyrethins. Hang it high, not over food/water, and it will repel fleas, flies, ticks, mites, lice. Made by any one of the following- Black Flag, Vapona, TSC, Home Hardware. Available at tack shops, feed stores, co-ops, agricultural supply sources. Amazing stuff.

 

[talkinboutmygirls]

Question about DE and the yard...chicken yard or whole yard?

It not only kills the insects we'd like to live without, but kills the honeybees, ladybugs, etc. - insects we can't live without.

Just a cautionery note.

 

[Andora]

I would get food grade DE and nothing else, just in case an animal or small child gets into it around your yard. I've read that you can sprinkle it right on ant nests and then just up around your house to make a barrier. Other than that, I only sprinkle mine around the chicken coop and run where flies congregate...Definitely avoid any flowers where bees might be snacking!

 

[M@M@2four]

Hello...I use Sevin dust(yes, it's spelled that way). You can buy a bag of it a walmart for under $5 in the garden section. I sprinkle it on the ground and it does the job well. It's safe for animals and children--I just wouldn't let your kids be running barefoot in it.

You can also buy Sevin in liquid form, so maybe you could spray it as well. Good luck!