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

[spatcher]

Hi Chicken Crew!

PermaGuard Food Grade DE;

8 pounds - 21.75

5 pounds - 17.95

3 pounds - 14.95

1 pound - 7.15

All prices include Priority Mail 2-3 day delivery time.
You are close Crew so if you wanted to pick it up you could subtract 8.95 from the 8, 5 and 3 pound packages!
USPS makes more on it than I do LOL

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Which was never an issue or a thought in my mind, I really do understand the relationships - I've been a gardener for years, a naturalist for even longer, and now a beekeeper. I really don't think the sarcasm was warranted.

As for what bees gather, it's rather interesting - during warm spells in the winter when they are out flying around (and yes, they do fly around in the winter) they'll gather white millet from my bird feeder and store it in their combs - so it wouldn't surprise me at all if they also gathered up some DE.

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.

I never thought it would. Rather my question was DE in compost, loose, apart from coop uses. Honeybees have enough troubles without introducing even more to them, and that was my only concern.

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

None of this answered my question. I have the answers I need, as I had indicated, by posting in the beekeeping forum, where many do keep both chickens and bees - and wasn't insulted with the answers.​

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Doc,

It might be a good idea to remember that there are a number of people around here who probably have more Latin than you do, and at least as much formal education. And even those who don't, some of them know a lot more than you do about a number of things

[edited to add, because it just BUGS me... that is *not* what res ipsa loquitur means, you know...)

Just a friendly observation,

Pat

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

If you have honey bees and your chickens ever do get lice or mites you can use Rotenone to treat them, and if the bees get some it will only kill their lice if they have any, it's used to treat bees too. Rotenone is natural and it's Organic approved.

I know DE is often said to reduce fly populations by having it in the manure, but my experience is that did not work. Either feeding it to the horses and chickens so it's mixed in or mixing it in the bedding or when taking it to the compost. It is said to cut the fly maggots while they are in the compost. So if you get any beneficial insects out of manure compost I guess they could be effected. I kinda doubt that once that compost was put in gardens there is any hope of any action, and again I saw no change in flies with the use of DE in my bedding compost. The muscovie ducks however have been a miracle in reducing that issue.

 

[Nichole77]

Any substance that is easily inhaled is bad for asthmatics. The plain old dirt that your chickens kick up can and does get inhaled. But for a child with asthma that can cause an attack. Thats why air purifiers are popular. If you bake and cornstarch spilled and flew into the air your child could potentially have an attack. I am sorry for your situation, your poor children are lucky to have a mother so conscientious and concerned about their welfare.

 

[Oblio13]

My uncle used it in his chicken coop, and it killed all the birds, him, his entire family, four dogs, two horses, eight neighbors who lived downwind, and someone who drove his contaminated car. The government relocated the survivors and hushed up the incident. The area is fenced and patrolled by federal agents now. To this day there are no birds or wildlife there. Occasionally an animal roams through, but they usually collapse and die quickly. Men in protective gear and respirators retrieve them and government veterinarians perform autopsies. I was told that it will be at least 20,000 years before human habitation is viable there again.







(Kidding. Don't worry about using food grade DE.)

 

[sundance]

I use DE in the chicken coop. When I clean the hay out of the coop, I assume that with all that chicken poop its well covered,then I put in a new deep layer of hay, and sift a good liberal amount in both the new hay in the nests, and the hay under the roosts, I also take a handful and rub in over the roost. Both my GGG's have ashama,the 10 year old gathers the eggs and the 18 months old watches. no problems with either of them.SoI vote DE all the way,I put the used hay from the coop in my garden,works really good. marrie

 

[Reinbeau]

April, Rotenone was removed from the approved list for organics two years ago (I think that was when, may have been three). I've been assured that the uses I plan will not harm the bees, so I'm going with the Food Grade DE.

 

[tigger65]

ok got the DE used a sifter to spread through out the coop and run even sprinkled my dogs with it but HOW OFTEN do I need to use it ??

 

[foreverblessed]

Quote:
Well I wished I had read your post prior to ordering my Fossil Flour just before reading your post! I would have bought from you.

I bought alot and it will be a while before needing to reorder ... but I put your site in my favorites.

I have a question for whoever may know the answer ... Once the Diatomaceous Earth aka: Fossil Flour is applied, how often do I need to reapply? I am using the Deep Litter Method. Do I need to reapply a thin coating each time I add more Pine bedding to the coop??? Thanks! Laura

Yeah, finally. My first post!!! Hubby had to redo computer so it would allow me to do more than just read the threads! Now on to other threads!!!

... after I go pick up my youngin's.


God is Good! all the time.
All the time, God is Good!