DIATOMACIOUS EARTH QUESTION

[ZEROPILOT]

(I'M SURE IT'S MIS SPELLED) I'll be getting my order of the D/E on Thursday. It's the food grade variety. I need to know how and were to apply it for maximum relief of ants and minimum chance of harm or discomfort to my tortoises. Can I sprinkle it on top of the soil? should I mix it in with the soil? My Big R/F has a cement pool in his pen. If he walked through the D/E and then took a dunk to cool off, he would transfer some into his pool and he usually drinks a bit while he's in there.....see my concern. Also, my nose isn't 1/2" above the ground and I can't breathe it. It is supposed to feel like crawling on "broken glass" to an ant. Is it truly safe for a tortoise? I'd like to hear tips from some that have used this product already and what your observations are. Thank you. (I'm not planning on using it until after the raining season.)

 

[ascott]

feel like crawling on "broken glass" to an ant

I am not an ant, so I don't know how it feels....but I do know what it does when an ant walks....once the ant walks through/over it...the particles stick to the ant, as the ant moves the particles wedge into the moving parts and destroy their exterior which causes rapid dehydration--as well as cutting into the actual body and limbs of the ant.....

It looses its effectiveness against the pests when it becomes wet....however, once it becomes wet it looses the slicing affect and if the tortoise gets some ingested it serves as a tool to decrease parasite load....

I have used it around the enclosures here...around the house and inside the house at some key places where ants have tried to gain possession of our house....and within the same day, they are all gone...

When you sprinkle it, try to do so without kicking up too must dust (if the product comes to you in a bag....you can snip a tiny (tiny) piece of the corner away and gently expel the powder in the areas you want it to do its job...once the dust settles so to speak then that inhalation risk is passed....a little goes a long way.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Got it today. Does it become effective again once it dries after being wet?

 

[ascott]

WAAAIIIITTTT....that bag is labeled as insect dust...please don't use it....it needs to be food grade like for humans to eat/ingest....that is not the food grade diatomaceous earth.....

When packaged for insect use....there is usually a different mix in it besides 100% D. Earth......PLEASE DON'T USE THAT in with the tortoise or anywhere that the tortoise comes into contact....

 

[ascott]

If you have a health food store near you or a true animal feed store, they will likely be able to get you the food grade...

 

[AmRoKo]

WAAAIIIITTTT....that bag is labeled as insect dust...please don't use it....it needs to be food grade like for humans to eat/ingest....that is not the food grade diatomaceous earth.....

When packaged for insect use....there is usually a different mix in it besides 100% D. Earth......PLEASE DON'T USE THAT in with the tortoise or anywhere that the tortoise comes into contact....

It does say food grade on it, are you sure it wouldn't be safe? I'm trying to look up an ingredient list for that brand to see if its only food grade DE. :/

I just found the list -

ACTIVE INGREDIENT:

Diatomaceous earth

Silicon dioxide
85%

Other elemental oxides
10%

Moisture
5%

TOTAL
100.0%

NET WT 6 lbs. TREATS 2500 SQUARE FEET

 

[Jacqui]

The food grade is safe for them to eat and many of us do use it on their food as part of a program against parasites.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yes. It is indeed food grade and has no health warnings. I think the packaging shows insects because that is what it is generally used for? I checked all over and this was the purest and safest. Only available online. There are no pesticides in it. I'll wait until I treat until I know more.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've been all over the internet with this. The St. Gabriel Organics "food grade" D/E is OMRI listed and tested and it's said to be safe for humans, pets and the environment. It is pure and pesticide free. 85% D/E , 10% anti clumping agent and 5% moisture. They advocate it for sprinkling right onto dogs and cats fur and feeding it to pets as an anti parasitic. It's used on organic food crops and other posts have people that regularly ingest it for health reasons. I'm not going to eat it or dump some on my dog, however, I am now satisfied that this is pure and safe. Thanks for the concern. There is a LOT of pesticide laced D/E. As a matter of fact, I had a difficult time finding the food grade and had to special order it online.

 

[Len B]

View attachment 97363 Got it today. Does it become effective again once it dries after being wet?

Yes it does, It doesn't dissolve it just gets wet. If you want to drink it you must keep it stirred up or it will settle to the bottom.

 

[Yvonne G]

Something that springs to my enquiring mind when reading this thread - if DE becomes ineffective when wet, what benefit does a human derive from drinking it in water? It's then wet, right?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My take on that is when it's wet, it doesn't cling to the insects body.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, I understand that...but what use is it inside YOUR body when its wet. It can't cling to your parasites either then.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

OOh, I see. Hopefully none of us will ever need a deworming!

 

[Abdulla6169]

No, I understand that...but what use is it inside YOUR body when its wet. It can't cling to your parasites either then.

I think it has deworming properties, because the rough texture of the DE won't harms internal parasites (as far as I know).

 

[ascott]

Ok, good....I always hit the brakes when I see reference to insect dust...there are some brands out there that have other elements added to the D.E....so if you have checked your ingredients...cool....

 

[ZEROPILOT]

An update. There is a break in the rain. I added some in very small quantities to both primary pens and my first opinion is that this stuff isn't so great. In my smaller pen that is now partitioned into two pens for my baby R/F. I sprinkled D/E underneath the feeding and basking stones and around the parameter if the enclosure. After two days, ants are still alive and well and walking all over the place including very near, if not right on top of the D/E. My concern has always been about eye irritation in my tortoises. The D/E "cuts through" the exoskeletons of insects and causes them to dehydrate to death. My worry was that the ground is eye level. Eyes get D/E in them and the cutting begins? This stuff is super fine, like corn starch. I have observed no noticeable eye discomfort. I wash the baby twice a day. No harm and no help! In the bigger pen, I used a lot more D/E and the same results. First, it looks bad.....White powder stuck to everything. Speckling the landscape. Secondly, there is also no reduction in ants there either. They might avoid the dusted areas and I'm not willing to make the entire place look like a snow covered mountain. So far, NOT so good.

 

[AmRoKo]

It's going to take a little time, normally after about 3 days+ is when I start to see a decrease and then gone, My torts haven't had any eye problems with it though I never let them near the area that I put the stuff down until it has settled (takes about 20 minutes to and hour depending on how much you use I've noticed).

 

[ascott]

patience....are you sure that there it is not being affected by dampness?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Well people I us DE but the way I use it is I take the sml plastic cup with a cap I use a hole punch to put a hole in the lid then I put one teaspoon of DE and one pease of cat food in it and put the lid on and place iron the ground


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