Opinions on Diatomaceous Earth - Page 2

Man I'm glad to hear that. I about fell out of my chair when I read that. Sorry didn't know there was a safe source. Thanks for the correction.    Hank

 Not a problem;-)

It's a difference in purity, and I'm not sure if the consistency is the same or not. I think the food grade is a much heavier powder in that it's finer, if you know what I mean....like for example the difference between flour and sugar (not saying chemical DE is like sugar). Food grade DE is the consistency of flour- it's kind of heavy, and unless you're pouring in into the wind (yeah, I've done this) it's not really dusty. It does dry your skin, I've noticed, but not badly. I pour an extra bit into the bottoms of all my food containers to keep mold at bay if there's the slightest moisture due to condensation at certain times of the year. Works great.

And it's kind of funny when your  animals look like cocaine addicts. 

Stuff  works great. I use it on my dogs and horses and my animals have zero ticks and fleas. leerburg website has a great post about it. he uses it in his dog food on a daily basis. my feed store sells it for 50 dollars for 50lbs or 6 or 5lb

Tried Frontline Plus, didn't kill the fleas...

Told to get food grade DE. Used it liberally on my dogs and cats. It didn't kill one flea. I was seriously disappointed that the DE didn't work after hearing all the hype about how good it is to use.

I used Advantage. It's the only thing that's been able to kill the fleas on my pets.

SUCKS

 Birdy, DE works.  They use it in grain storage to kill bugs w/out pesticides. The statistics are startling between the efficacy of DE vs. chemical pesticides. It doesn't kill them instantly, if that's what you were expecting. Some die faster than others. It pierces the exoskeleton and they die....if you have fleas, it could take 72 hours to "see" a difference, and remember, it has to come in contact w/them, so sprinkling it on the dogs and cats may not work as well if they have thick coats and the fleas are burrowed under the fur.

Incidentally, I don't use it for fleas or ticks. I have never had either. I had one dog come home from a farm w/fleas, one time. There is a lot of research to suggest that the healthier the animal, the less attractive to parasites it is. Hence, you may have fewer infestation problems if you feed it every day in conjunction w/a more natural feeding/rearing protocol. 

I don't think it's coincidence or luck that with 7 dogs and a cat, many who are outside nearly 24/7, I have NEVER had a flea problem. On occasion, I will see one flea, and not again for months or years. Why do I not get infestations?

I don't know about using it added to feed, though it makes excellent sense.  I do know that it is SUPER EFFECTIVE ( added emphasis just because it is so good!) for dealing with bugs, of all kinds.  I had a major infestation of red and black ants in my feed shed this year.  They decided to build a nest mount in/under the shed, and were making it all but impossible to feed my chickens.  They would coat the door and the containers, and believe me, they BITE.  I tried using the chickens to clean them up, but the chickens ate only a bit of the protein and went back to their corn.  Finally I had had enough.  I sprinkled a liberal amount of DE in the feed shed, and blew it under the shed, as well.  

It took about a week total, but after that, there were no more ants to be found, not anywhere around the shed, not in it.  I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a topical anti-flea treatment, and if needed, as a feed additiive.  Anything that works without using poisons is definitely on my "use" list.  I will not use any chemical flea treatments at all, having read too many accounts of dogs being harmed or killed by it.  I know a lot of folks use it every day, but Frontline and Advantage are just too dangerous for my taste.  And if you're putting the stuff on a house dog, I wonder what sort of effect those toxins might have on the people in the house...

Crys

I use it for all things good except trusting it for pests in my animals.