# Diatomaceous earth



## milkandsam (Aug 1, 2015)

Is this the DE that is tort safe?? It says food grade? Hoping to purchase it if it is!


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## jaizei (Aug 1, 2015)

Looks like it.


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## Careym13 (Aug 1, 2015)

Yes, that is safe...I use it all the time.


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 1, 2015)

I bought the SAME BAGS from Home Depot.
It's safe.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 1, 2015)

Food Grade is the one to use.


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 1, 2015)

The part on the bag that says "insect dust" is the thing that worried me, but it IS approved for human consumption.


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## Keith D. (Aug 1, 2015)

Yup that's the right one. It also is good for using around the house and yard to kill fleas and ticks without doing harm to your pets. I have even used it directly on our dogs.


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## milkandsam (Aug 1, 2015)

Awesome!! Thanks


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## Angel Carrion (Aug 1, 2015)

I use it all the time, but I get mine on amazon. My house wasn't built properly so there are a million ways for bugs to get in. I use it on the rugs and along the front and back door jams and along the widow sills when I start seeing earwigs and carpenter ants etc etc and it works like a charm. I also sometimes put a little on my dog brush and brush my dogs out after hiking with them to make sure they didn't pick up any ticks and if they did, this stuff will kill them. I have also used it in my turtle enclosure outside when I think there are too many bugs (mostly flies because of the plum tree) and it takes care of them until it rains or I water the enclosure. I don't do it often because they hunt the bugs, but when the bug numbers start to swell beyond what they can contain, DE helps control it.


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## milkandsam (Aug 1, 2015)

That's awesome! Our house is the same way and much as I hate bug poison, I've been using it but it doesn't work! So I'll be using it in the tort enclosure as well, which makes me extra happy!


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## Angel Carrion (Aug 1, 2015)

milkandsam said:


> That's awesome! Our house is the same way and much as I hate bug poison, I've been using it but it doesn't work! So I'll be using it in the tort enclosure as well, which makes me extra happy!


It won't get rid of them for long, but it will get rid of the ground dwelling bugs for a while and any flying bugs that touch down will also die, but it won't kill flying bugs unless they touch down into the DE. From what I understand, once it becomes wet it no longer works. Which is why I said about the rain and me hosing it.


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 1, 2015)

I made an attachment for a leaf blower and dusted the crawlspace in my roof with it. It made a Hell of a mess.
I suppose it worked. It used to be a roach hangout area.


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## pepsiandjac (Aug 13, 2015)

I love this stuff,.I didn't see a fly or insect in tort shed for months after using it ,but does anyone know know if it will kill ,largish spiders.
I was just about to reopen the entrance from shed into greenhouse when i spotted these 2 sentries ,and then found 4 more,they are much bigger than they look in photo


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 13, 2015)

pepsiandjac said:


> I love this stuff,.I didn't see a fly or insect in tort shed for months after using it ,but does anyone know know if it will kill ,largish spiders.
> I was just about to reopen the entrance from shed into greenhouse when i spotted these 2 sentries ,and then found 4 more,they are much bigger than they look in photo


Yep, it kills spiders, too.


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## pepsiandjac (Aug 13, 2015)

Thank God for that,i have been stressing over them for days,


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## Careym13 (Aug 13, 2015)

pepsiandjac said:


> I love this stuff,.I didn't see a fly or insect in tort shed for months after using it ,but does anyone know know if it will kill ,largish spiders.
> I was just about to reopen the entrance from shed into greenhouse when i spotted these 2 sentries ,and then found 4 more,they are much bigger than they look in photo


YUCK! I live in spider country myself and when I use DE in my house around the baseboards I find very few spiders. I'm assuming it kills them, but even if it makes them leave that is good enough for me!


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 13, 2015)

I'm not sure that it would be effective for very large segmented insects as the exoskeleton would be thicker and harder to abrade. The DE rubs through the exoskeleton and caused dehydration.


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## pepsiandjac (Aug 13, 2015)

I tried to get them with a blowtorch but greenhouse started to melt lol


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## Angel Carrion (Aug 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I'm not sure that it would be effective for very large segmented insects as the exoskeleton would be thicker and harder to abrade. The DE rubs through the exoskeleton and caused dehydration.


I thought DE worked at the joints where the exoskeleton was either thin or open and exposed and that's how it would get in?


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 13, 2015)

Angel Carrion said:


> I thought DE worked at the joints where the exoskeleton was either thin or open and exposed and that's how it would get in?


I'm hoping that's the case because I'm using it on monster tropical cockroaches.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 13, 2015)

It abrades the exoskeleton and causes spiders to lose body fluids and dehydrate until death.
Spider's exoskeletons are not usually very thick.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 13, 2015)

Cockroaches can last up to 12 hours after encountering DE.
But it still gets them in the end.


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## Lyn W (Aug 13, 2015)

pepsiandjac said:


> I love this stuff,.I didn't see a fly or insect in tort shed for months after using it ,but does anyone know know if it will kill ,largish spiders.
> I was just about to reopen the entrance from shed into greenhouse when i spotted these 2 sentries ,and then found 4 more,they are much bigger than they look in photo


'If you want to live and thrive
Let the spider run alive'

.....just something I grew up with. I don't like spiders but can't kill them as they are good creepy crawly hunters themselves.
I can't pick them up either, but I have a special spider catcher which is like a pyramid with a sliding space and handle.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 13, 2015)

Lyn W said:


> 'If you want to live and thrive
> Let the spider run alive'
> 
> .....just something I grew up with. I don't like spiders but can't kill them as they are good creepy crawly hunters themselves.
> I can't pick them up either, but I have a special spider catcher which is like a pyramid with a sliding space and handle.


I agree, I never kill spiders.
I will pick them up and put them outside.


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## Angel Carrion (Aug 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I'm hoping that's the case because I'm using it on monster tropical cockroaches.


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## Angel Carrion (Aug 13, 2015)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> I agree, I never kill spiders.
> I will pick them up and put them outside.


I let them be wherever I find them unless they're a species that can hurt one of my animals. Haven't encountered such a species yet.
I have a handful living in my bedroom, a couple in the living room, one or two in the kitchen, and a hundred or so living outside my front and back doors to catch all the bugs drawn to the outside lights right outside both doors.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 13, 2015)

Not sure DE would be of much use with that lot.


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## pepsiandjac (Aug 13, 2015)

Lyn W said:


> 'If you want to live and thrive
> Let the spider run alive'
> 
> .....just something I grew up with. I don't like spiders but can't kill them as they are good creepy crawly hunters themselves.
> I can't pick them up either, but I have a special spider catcher which is like a pyramid with a sliding space and handle.


These were really big lyn,and can't get to them because they are in between greenhouse and shed,right where i got to put my hand through to reopen it .
I'm only up the road from you,come and catch them in your spider catcher lol


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Aug 13, 2015)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> Not sure DE would be of much use with that lot.


Try hair spray or spritz that will stop spiders and it works on scoirpons


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## leigti (Aug 13, 2015)

Grandpa Turtle 144 said:


> Try hair spray or spritz that will stop spiders and it works on scoirpons


Lysol spray works well too.


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## Keith D. (Aug 15, 2015)

Careym13 said:


> YUCK! I live in spider country myself and when I use DE in my house around the baseboards I find very few spiders. I'm assuming it kills them, but even if it makes them leave that is good enough for me!


Daww its just a wittle spider  Where I live in SW AZ we have hobos, sun spiders (camel spiders), tarantulas and a bunch of other cool critters lol


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## Careym13 (Aug 16, 2015)

Keith D. said:


> Daww its just a wittle spider  Where I live in SW AZ we have hobos, sun spiders (camel spiders), tarantulas and a bunch of other cool critters lol


Those camel spiders are freaky!


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## Keith D. (Aug 16, 2015)

Careym13 said:


> Those camel spiders are freaky!


Yah but I like them, they help keep the buggies out of the house. The ones I don't like are the giant harry scorpions and bark scorpions. Did I mention I found 2 hairies in the house today while cleaning up, UGH.


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## Careym13 (Aug 16, 2015)

Keith D. said:


> Yah but I like them, they help keep the buggies out of the house. The ones I don't like are the giant harry scorpions and bark scorpions. Did I mention I found 2 hairies in the house today while cleaning up, UGH.


 We don't have scorpions out here but one time, at band camp...I mean Nicaragua....I woke up from a night of camping in the mountains and found a scorpion had shacked up with me in my sleeping bag.


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## pepsiandjac (Aug 17, 2015)

Was out the garden yesterday with my bag of diatomaceous earth,must have been going around for and hour blitzing anything that moved,and I can categorically state that diatomaceous earth does suck the moisture out of living things,
Spiders all seem to be doing fine but my hand is shrivelled up like a prune lol,


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 18, 2015)

It is all but futile to use it at all outside right now because this is our rainy season and it doesn't work when wet.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 18, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> It is all but futile to use it at all outside right now because this is our rainy season and it doesn't work when wet.


Useful tip.
Stand over it with an umbrella.
Or a hairdryer.


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 18, 2015)

Strange fact that the bag says that it is useful for up to eight months, I think it says.....since it is a powder and retains it's form in my attic, why would it be any less effective after eight months? It's a microscopic skeleton of sorts. Why would it not be as effective due to time?


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 18, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Strange fact that the bag says that it is useful for up to eight months, I think it says.....since it is a powder and retains it's form in my attic, why would it be any less effective after eight months? It's a microscopic skeleton of sorts. Why would it not be as effective due to time?


Odd.
if you google it, it says everywhere it has an unlimited shelf life if kept dry.
It shouldn't 'go off', can't see why it would.


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## ZEROPILOT (Aug 18, 2015)

Then it's a marketing ploy to have people buy more? NICE. 
some of that dust was blown into my attic over eight years ago.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Aug 18, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Then it's a marketing ploy to have people buy more? NICE.
> some of that dust was blown into my attic over eight years ago.


Ha de ha.
Yep, my bet is on marketing ploy.


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