Diatomaceous earth--- Really that harmless?????

[Reinbeau]

Harmful to bees is a serious problem for me - we are beekeepers. In what way is it harmful to bees? What about using the manure and bedding in a compost pile, won't it also hurt beneficial insects in the soil? I'd like to use it, but these two things are a dealbreaker for me. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Dawn419]

You can read all about food grade DE at this link: Wolf Creek Ranch

Skip wants to get into bee keeping after we get moved to the family farm (in a year or so). He's read up on the DE iformation and stated that he wouldn't have a problem with me still using the food grade DE as the hives won't be kept near our coops.

It really just boils down to a persons preference...you either use food grade DE or you don't.

Hope this is some help!

Dawn

 

[Reinbeau]

I had read that, and it didn't mention anything specific about honeybees. Our bees are right next to where we put the coop, we don't have lots of land to keep them separate, and we know many beekeepers who also keep chickens and they've all said there's no problem keeping them in close proximity. Now I'll ask over there if any of them use diatomaceous earth and if they've seen any problems.

 

[doc_gonzo]

reinbeau,

i think that the point that dawn was making was that judicious use of de in the coop area (which is more often than not devoid of blooming plants) is in no way effecting the honey bee population, because bees are not interested in manure, dust, and chicken feed.

as a biologist it has been my experience that bees are drawn to nectar and pollen, as opposed to chicken poop and dirt.... go figure??!!

so using de on roost poles as a whitewash or using de as a dust in the chicken feed (for internal parasites) has no effect on the honey bee population what-so-ever.

of course if you ran around the yard and indiscriminately dusted blooming plants like monardas, echinacea, or yarrows (which we grow specifically for the honey bees) the honey bees might suffer a small casuallty ratio... but bees are not stupid, how long have they been around?????

if they encounter an irritant (ie de), they bathe and dispel the irritant. nature has a way of working these things out long before the human "virus" began interfering with their natural cycle.

res ipsa loquitor, (he knows of what he speaks) latin for the uninitiated

doc

 

[ChelC]

The compost question is a good one though. If people use DE in their coop only, and then compost that, the DE is still in the compost and then it gets spread into the gardens where the bees are. I would hate to compost my litter and harm the already endangered honeybee population.

 

[morelcabin]

Well, I don't know about DE, but to keep lice and mites away from my birds I liberally sprinkle Borax in with thier bedding, and that works well.

 

[spatcher]

Most of the sites that I have seen mention the fact that DE (food grade) is lethal to bees - maybe some of you have been lucky and the bees upwind because the dust alone can kill them!

 

[the simple life]

I went to the feed store today and owner looked at me like I had two heads when I asked him for some de for my chickens.He kept telling me that you never use it for anything other than bug killer.
He kept saying that he had many years of experience with chickens and this is an absurd idea.
I am new at the chicken business and I kept trying to explain myself but I was very embarrassed.
He showed me the bag and asked me where on the bag do I see that its okay to use for animals.
I said well maybe its not the foodgrade one but he just got more exasperated.
I had mentioned that I wanted to raise my chickens organically earlier in our conversation and when I mentioned the de he said well if you want organic then why woud you give this to them?!
So anyway I am now more confused than ever about what to do.
Also, the person that metioned worms, is that something you automatically treat for as a preventive or did you notice they had worms?
Is it more of a problem in larger flocks as opposed to smaller?
Are worms and other parasites brought in from outside chickens that you add to the flock or do they get them from anywhere?
I am wondering if there is an advantage to hatching all your own chicks right from the beginning

 

[spatcher]

I sell PermaGuard DE and take it myself! Perhaps you could print out Shadow Ridge's page regarding DE and show it to him. Wonder what his response would be then! lol - here it is... www.shadowridgedonkeys.com/perma_food_grade.htm

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Hey spatcher. What's the price on the PGDE?