Is DE worth it?

[cmom]

DE didn't work for me and Elector PSP is great but very expensive that is why I use permethrin. It works and costs way less. I had mites and a lot of flies. I used permethrin concentrate, mixed it with water in a sprayer and sprayed in the coops thoroughly. With the mites, it does not kill the mite eggs so repeat spraying is necessary. There is no egg withdrawal period. To my surprise was it also eliminated most of the flies. I have way less flies now. If you have a TSC they carry the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate.

 

[Compost King]

If you do not have TSC or other livestock type of store Garden shops often carry Livestock dust as I posted before. Its often cheaper at Garden Shops too.

 

[centrarchid]

How is the DE being used against the mites? Method of application may affect how well DE works.

 

[cmom]

As I already posted, when I had an infestation, I tried DE for awhile and the birds didn't improve and upon further inspection of them still found mites. I dusted the birds with the DE as well as spread it around in their coop and nest boxes. I did some research and came across permethrin. After about a month of thoroughly spraying the coops and initially the birds, then weekly spraying the coops thoroughly and dusting the birds and putting the dust in their nest boxes, I saw improvement in the birds. At the time of the infestation the birds were molting so at first I thought they were only molting but they didn't seem to be getting their feathers in like they should have so I checked them over and discovered the mites. I felt bad that I didn't discover them before but that was the first time I had ever dealt with mites. Now the birds are beautiful again. I have been spraying but not as often because I had some wild birds attemping to build nests in some of the nest boxes in a couple of the coops and think that is where the mites probably came from initially.

 

[sorce]

I use DE as a substrate for Bonsai trees. Napa 8822.
I have formulated an opinion on it over the years.

I don't believe the whole...it Kill's insect thing.
I believe "food grade" DE exists because Hipsters will buy it.

I let my chickens eat it.

Sorce

 

[Compost King]

I just received a bird full of either lice or mites, Someone must of have him as a stray and through him in my back yard thinking he was mine. I dusted him yesterday with permethrin dust (livestock dust). His disposition is already better. When I took him out of his quarantine coop into the quarantine cage this morning he didn't attack me like he did all the times I had to handle him yesterday. permethrin works for sure, no doubt. Why go with DE if there is a proven product?

 

[centrarchid]

DE kills flies and insects in feed very well. I have used it for the former and it gets jobs in about two days. The use as a dewormer has little or no research that supports it. As a control agent for lice, I can see where it would work well like it does for air breathing insects. We are confusing issues in our eagerness to disparage hippies and tree huggers.


Somebody needs to give the food grade a honest evaluation as treatment for lice. One of the treatments will ideally include the DE mixed into the dust bathing medium.

 

[cmom]

I thought DE was good and bought 50# bags. When I dusted the coops and birds with it and a week later they still had mites, I started having doubts. The birds looked like powdered doughnuts. Since I have food grade I knew it was safe for them.

 

[cmom]

When I had an infestation, I tried DE for awhile and the birds didn't improve and upon further inspection of them still found mites. I dusted the birds with the DE as well as spread it around in their coop and nest boxes. I did some research and came across permethrin. After about a month of weekly spraying and dusting with it the birds improved

 

[centrarchid]

I thought DE was good and bought 50# bags. When I dusted the coops and birds with it and a week later they still had mites, I started having doubts. The birds looked like powdered doughnuts. Since I have food grade I knew it was safe for them.

Try it as part of a dust bathing mix rather than as something you apply directly to birds and / or their housing. I do not use DE routinely with flock at home, rather I make certain the birds have access to quality dust bathing stations. Where I have had problems in the past is when the birds spent much of their times associated with roosting area protected from the elements and no access to dust bathing area. If the DE works the way I think it does on mites, then the mites loose their grip when dust particles get between them and chicken tissue the mites hang on to causing the mites to fall off.

The lice / mites I have dealt with do not do well exposed to the elements.