What does DE do?

[nancypo]

It does keep down some other insects too- I had a bunch of earwigs last summer in the nesting box. Sprinkled some in and mixed it in. All gone the next day. They eat/wear it and die. Don't breathe it in, use on a wind-free day, really drying on your skin, use gloves. Very non-toxic otherwise.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
I've read that it is that particular fake vanilla scent that does it, not the real thing.

Plus, you wouldn't want the chickens getting into the vanilla beans, I wouldn't think.

 

[classicsredone]

DE works great for insects that will crawl through the powder. The particles are sharp, and make gashes on their bodies. The bugs dehydrate and die. The thing is, it only works when it is dry. When wet, it will wash into soil and is only good as a source of trace minerals. I have used it in the past to control gnats from potting soil, and it works pretty well to prevent mites/lice when applied to an animal and/or their bedding. Make sure to not breath in the dust, though. We use dust masks to prevent any lung irritation from breathing it in.

 

[BoltonChicken]

DE works great for insects that will crawl through the powder. The particles are sharp, and make gashes on their bodies. The bugs dehydrate and die. The thing is, it only works when it is dry. When wet, it will wash into soil and is only good as a source of trace minerals. I have used it in the past to control gnats from potting soil, and it works pretty well to prevent mites/lice when applied to an animal and/or their bedding. Make sure to not breath in the dust, though. We use dust masks to prevent any lung irritation from breathing it in.

And that tells it all! As an aside, there has been no evidence that it works as a wormer, although many people swear by it. If you use it knowing what it does (kills mites, lice, insects and helps dry out damp litter) and take precautions not to breathe it in, you should be happy with it.​

 

[BookWorm243]

I use Food Grade DE as a wormer for our dogs, cats, chickens, and what ever else may need it. We foster animals and DE has done the trick for everything, including fleas and ticks on dogs. The company we get ours from has the dosage for the worming as they use it on there farm and rescue animals. It can be used for mites, oder, insects, really almost anything. People can actually take Food Grade DE