opinions on diatomaceous earth?

[casportpony]

Permetherin is much more potent than DE, so i dont doubt it resolved your problem rapidly. DE takes some time to work, and unless your mixing or tilling in an exorbitant amount of it into your dirt floor then your not touching the source really. DE works better as a preventative and as a spot treatment than as a way to stop an infestation.

Permetherin works totally differently than DE, and so dusting an area with it has a major impact. Its also a very harsh chemical. I strive not to use chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

When I see bugs, I want them gone, period.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Question for DE lovers... what will you do if you find a sick bird covered in mites and lice?

-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

DE is hyped, a waste of money. I know, I used it long ago.

 

[TheRambler]

I havnt had mites or lice in years. the key is to catch it early before its bad. And in that case DE does the trick. DE has to be applied regularly to be effective. If you do have a bad case then the best method is a peppermint oil spray onto the bird under the feathers in a few spots, or a soapy water bath. Fresh mint leaves bruised and rubbed on the bird works pretty good also. Several other herbs work well too.

A clean coop, and proper prevention practices keep it from occurring in the first place.

DE has always done a wonderful job for me. I wonder if all DE is not "created equal" and some brands are better than others. I always hear mixed reports on DE and wonder why.

 

[casportpony]

DE is hyped, a waste of money. I know, I used it long ago.

X2. Sadly many will continue to use it and wonder why their birds have mites, lice and worms.

-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

I havnt had mites or lice in years. the key is to catch it early before its bad. And in that case DE does the trick. DE has to be applied regularly to be effective. If you do have a bad case then the best method is a peppermint oil spray onto the bird under the feathers in a few spots, or a soapy water bath. Fresh mint leaves bruised and rubbed on the bird works pretty good also. Several other herbs work well too.

A clean coop, and proper prevention practices keep it from occurring in the first place.

DE has always done a wonderful job for me. I wonder if all DE is not "created equal" and some brands are better than others. I always hear mixed reports on DE and wonder why.

How long have you owned chickens?

 

[casportpony]

.

 

[JeanR]

Studied Geology in College, years ago, spent hours, over weeks, with Diatoms under the microscope, and learning about them. (They are beautiful and like snowflakes--endless designs! ) Use it, eat it, drink it, feed it to your chickens, spread it on the bedding of the coop====if you want to. It will do no harm, except to your pocket book. Ever see a bug that was poked by a diatom? You won't , it is not alive and does not seek out creatures to stab..They are not too hard to smash and if this is done, the dust will be effective, as is dust from soil, so will do the job of snuffing, not poking a mite, to death. Dry, it is just a "silica=like fine sand. Wet is it just like fine wet sand. Internally, it is wet and just like any foreign material in the digestive tract, carried right through like candy or yogurt! Either way, it does nothing better than fine dust, but do not recommend eating it yourself!!!! (Your bird's dusting holes are good, but your soil structure may not be fine enough to do the best job until well used!.) However, if you wish to use it, and believe it does magic, it does not bother anyone at all. Harmless, clean, and It Sells.....Advertising pays....In the garden, slugs may dry up, same as with flour or dust. Other bugs and insects would have to be buried in it, same as fine dust-and wet, it is easier for a bug to tunnel throughor crawl over, just like wet soil. Sprinkled on soil and wet with rain, it just fades into the soil. Still, "if it works for you"....you are taking good care of your birds and that is what is important......

 

[TheRambler]

Its not very hard for DE to "poke" a bug. Its a mechanical pesticide, so it requires physical contact. So if a bug crawls through it, tunnels through it , or has it directly applied to them it will work.

Some people may call it snake oil, but at least this snake oil has science and research behind it.

I am not trying to say DE is the greatest thing ever. It does however work if used appropriately for the conditions., though it is mechanical so physical contact must occur for it to work.

Chickens arn't extinct yet, and people have been raising them and many other birds for a long long time and yet chemical treatments are only relatively new. There are other more natural, and herbal solutions than using chemicals. never said it was easy, it takes patience and diligence.

 

[casportpony]

Its not very hard for DE to "poke" a bug. Its a mechanical pesticide, so it requires physical contact. So if a bug crawls through it, tunnels through it , or has it directly applied to them it will work.

Some people may call it snake oil, but at least this snake oil has science and research behind it.

I am not trying to say DE is the greatest thing ever. It does however work if used appropriately for the conditions., though it is mechanical so physical contact must occur for it to work.

Chickens arn't extinct yet, and people have been raising them and many other birds for a long long time and yet chemical treatments are only relatively new. There are other more natural, and herbal solutions than using chemicals. never said it was easy, it takes patience and diligence.

A friend of mine put a bunch of feather lice in a jar of it and it didn't kill them. And when I say I dusted mine with it, I mean I coverd them and the bugs in it. It did *not* kill any of them!

Money would be better spent on a jar of poultry dust or 5% Sevin.

-Kathy