Grain mites living in DE!!

[mtgirl2]

So I had some grain mites in some chicken scratch. I read where it was fine to feed it to the chickens since they eat bugs. (not really the point of my post, so moving on . . .) Since I have a large bag of DE I thought I might as well use it to get rid of those pests. I sprinkled it in the bag and all around in the garbage can I use to store my feed. I also keep the DE bag in there.

So now, the bag of DE is infested with the little buggers! They are not dead, they are alive and kicking! On the plus side there are none in the grain or any of the feed. They have decided they like the DE best! Should I be worried about this? I use the DE for everything. Up until now, I thought it killed bugs not gave them a cozy living space!

 

[nuthatched]

De killing bugs is a bit of a myth, it can but if it gets the least bit humid or damp, it doesn't work at all.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

DE can take up to 24 hours to kill some insects and days to kill others. If it has an exoskeleton, it will dry them up eventually. I've used it when I had grain mites and they were gone in days. It would only be effective dry though as once its wet it's not going to have the same properties.
I store mine in a shed and the bag is open, I've never seen a live bug crawling through it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Here in SE MO it doesn't do much, it's too humid. But you still don't want to get it in your eye!

 

[cmom]

Personally at first I bought into DE but it never worked for me, so as far as I'm concerned it's pretty much worthless. I tried to use it when I had an infestation of mites in a coop. It didn't do a thing to get rid of the mites and the birds were in poor condition. I thought they were molting but weren't getting their feathers back and that's when I discovered they had mites, so the first I tried was DE. After using it for a couple of weeks the birds were looking much worse so I did some research and discovered Permethrin for mites and lice. After treating the birds and the coops for a couple of weeks with the permethrin the birds were improving and started to get their feathers back in. I think if I hadn't started treating the birds with the permethrin I may have lost some of them. They were in pretty poor shape. I was mad at myself for not figuring it out sooner. As far as grain mites, I don't worry as much about them but don't like to see any bugs. Good luck...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

A day??? DE typically takes a week of more to work. One of the MANY reasons I don't use it around my chickens, and think its presence in some feed is mostly for the ignorant, or as deterrent for things expected too spend to long in the warehouse, or on the shelf.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

A day??? DE typically takes a week of more to work. One of the MANY reasons I don't use it around my chickens, and think its presence in some feed is mostly for the ignorant, or as deterrent for things expected to spend to long in the warehouse, or on the shelf.

I'm not really sure if you're replying to what I said, but I stated that it can take up to 24 hours to days to work. It really depends on the insect.
Is it added to some feed brands? Or are you insinuating that those who add it to feed are ignorant?
It's actually used for other livestock on farms and not just chickens. I don't use it on my chickens as they have enough dirt and sand to create a dust bath they they really don't have pest issues.
The time I added it to my feed it was so humid outside that the grain mites were thriving in the plastic garbage can that I store my feed in. I used some DE and it took care of the grain mites.
I understand there is plenty of animosity towards DE here on BYC.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes, DE is added to numerous feed brands, often Organic and non-GMOs. Its effectiveness there is questionable at best, and as typically advertised, it preys on the ignorant, often claiming it helps control internal parasites.

DE has its uses - I use it myself. But in chicken feed is NOT one of those places. It works by scratching the waxy coating off of an insect's carapace, causing them to slowly dessicate. Even bags of DE from the big box store don't claim to kill bugs in 24 hours. (they offer no timeframe at all). Others offer a day to a week or more, depending on insect size and application.

Its not present in bags of feed in high enough concentrations to be even that effective.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

DE is like cardboard. When it gets wet, it loses its structural integrity. So expecting it to have any efficacy on parasites inside a chicken"s guts just makes no sense at all. It has a fragile crystalline structure. If it could cut up worms inside your chicken, imagine what it would be doing to the inside of your chicken! You can't have it both ways. It can't be working like tiny razor blades on the worms inside the chicken, but at the same time pass harmlessly through the chicken. Fortunately, that's not the case. Once it gets wet, it's just harmless mush.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

According to the link that @U_Stormcrow posted, it's used as an anti-caking agent in feed. As well, its found in many products intended for humans.
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
Furthermore, there are studies noting the benefits of DE, but I've come to the conclusion that you're most likely not interested in scientific studies @BigBlueHen53 .