Diatomaceous Earth, anybody have information about it?.

I have been trying to find a flea control substance for an older dog with sensitivities to those chemical treatments which have to be made stronger every year because insects develop resistance over time, (Yup, they don't really tell anybody about that, considering it's just used on them there lowly animals)...

Anyway, during my research I have read that DE is a good insect killer for pretty much everything anywhere including fleas on pets so I went and bought me a bag of the stuff, a big bag because it's "dirt cheap" and has a whole butt-load of uses according to what I have found during my research.

I also found many testimonials online singing praises of the health benefits for humans too, and knowing what I do know about how the world works, those big drug companies would of course give it no credibility even if it does have health benefits seeing as they would have a hard time patenting dirt, but I'm sure them there legal schuysters will figure a way if there are positive bennies to consuming that there dirt anyway....

I was just wondering if anyone here may have any first hand experience with this stuff and would really like to hear what you have to say about it, positive or negative.

So far the only thing I have noticed is that it makes my coffee gritty, icky but tolerable enough, now we wait to see if I grow a tail or something....

What do humans use it for?

Diatomaceous earth does have many uses; however, it hasn't been studied carefully yet. The many benefits of its use are well known; however, consequences of long term use are just emerging. I would warn you to use the utmost caution.

There has been a link established between Morgellons Disease (where afflicted individuals sprout hair-like silica fibers from their bodies) and Lyme Disease/Diatomaceous earth. This is because Diatomaceous earth (aka silica, which is silicon dioxide) is often used to fight chronic Lyme Disease.

reply to post by brazenalderpadrescorpio

It is supposedly a good source of silica and other minerals.

Do a search online, it is frequently referred to as DE, there are both positive and not so positive posts about it although the negative posts are mostly nothing more than trolls trying to derail any dialog in the thread.

I have been familiar with the stuff for many years, the first time I was exposed to it was in a microscope set I got about 44 years ago for Christmas when I was a kid.

It was pretty to look at...

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


We use it where I work to treat for pests, primarily bed bugs.

If you've never dealt with it, I'll try to give you my best impressions of it. Essentially, it's a white powder made of finely ground "earth" that's primarily fossils. It has the consistency of talcum powder, and a similar color. We use applicators to apply the powder to various hot spots where the bed bugs tend to hide. By the time we finish treating furniture it's quite a mess. However, since it's not a chemical, the powder has no real latent effectiveness once it's wiped up.

It functions by jamming chitin joints in the pests, puncturing vulnerable points in their exoskeleton, and dehydrating them.

As far as it's effectiveness goes, I've seen mixed results here. A lot of people praise the stuff, and it may help some, but we've had more issues with bed bugs this year than ever before. It's certainly possible it's more effective on other creatures though, we've had very few issues with ants and other small bugs.

It's worth a try, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. As with most products, your mileage may vary.


I hit the button to soon...

I'm cautious about using it for human consumption, and I'm not entirely sure how safe it could possibly be... When we apply it the dust floats freely in the air. It's so bad, you have to use respirators to breath in the room. I saw some folks accidentally inhale some of that stuff and they complained about throat irritation for the next day or so. I'm sure inhaling flour would cause similar symptoms, but we don't use flour to kill pests either.

Kitty litter....................aint it?

reply to post by Pistoche

If you would provide links to the articles that link DE to Morgellon's, it would be greatly appreciated.

I will do my own research of course, and consider your input as well while developing my knowledge base regarding this gritty little substance.

Uh Oh!, I am growing a gaseous tail....

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


Gotcha.

You can brush your teeth with it. It does many things, but don't work in the mines, it's a very fine single celled fossil dust and will likely kill you if you breath it.

i hope you don't mind op im going to focus on the fleas

apple cider vinegar i just heard from my mother the DrVM recently
works great on fleas among other things
pets don't like the smell though so don't let them get a nose full

dip the brush in it as you brush through the dogs fur

tobacco sprinkled in the bed, nicotine substances are not good for fleas

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


Or you could be a shill trying to get us to poison ourselves with it. Jk.

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


The fleas around my area adapted to Frontline, now I use Advantage Multi, haven't had a flea issue in years. You might add in cedar beds, maybe spray juvenile hormone derivatives like Nylar, that'll kill off new hatchlings.

eta: you can get Advantage Multi cheap, as long as you don't buy it in the US. Make sure your dog doesn't have heartworms first. I get mine from Joe's Pet Meds, in Australia Advantage Multi is called Advocate, but it's exactly the same thing. You don't need a vet prescription to buy it. Which really chaps my vet, but I'm not paying 3x for the privilege of buying it from him.

etaa: with the sync feature on firefox, I now have my house computer links. Last time I had a really bad flea issue, I bought quart of Conquer and a quart of Archer and did the house and lawn a few times, that was that for about five years. You can get something longer lasting and a tad less stinky than Conquer, although really Conquer doesn't have much odor, called FenvaStar and only have to spray it once. This place also sells Demize, which is botanical, but IMHO doesn't kick flea butt like Conquer. Archer doesn't have an odor at all, and it's not a poison, but it keeps flea hatchlings from growing an egg tooth, so they're trapped inside their own eggs. Once you knock the fleas out, you can use nothing but Archer and keep your house and grounds flea-less, but you have to have an initial round or two of flea poison to get the job done in a timely fashion. Don't buy a lot of this stuff because it goes a long long way....this vendor is really good.

MyHappyDogShiner
Anyway, during my research I have read that DE is a good insect killer for pretty much everything anywhere

Maybe it' s just me, but any item that kills most insects PROBABLY isn't something very good for human or even dog use.

Take a nice whiff of some DE.......see how your lungs feel afterwards.

pavil

MyHappyDogShiner
Anyway, during my research I have read that DE is a good insect killer for pretty much everything anywhere

Maybe it' s just me, but any item that kills most insects PROBABLY isn't something very good for human or even dog use.

Take a nice whiff of some DE.......see how your lungs feel afterwards.

The lungs is the last place it's supposed to be. Or eyes.
It only destroys cold blooded creatures like bugs and such, but it's really dusty, so it's hard to keep the particles down.

It's better used on bedding, and then shaken out so its not inhaled.
It's also really drying on the skin, so if you do need to use it in the fur to treat fleas, ticks, live, mites, etc, be ready to bath and condition the next day.

My dogs caught dog lice last year, I alternated with the dust, and coconut oil to get rid of them.

I wouldn't mess with it unless you know what you're doing. Its a very fine abrasive, and can case scarring in your lungs, similar to breathing asbestos.

Go to a feed store and get something called Happy Jacks Mange Medicine. Its got 28% sulphur. Put it on your dog everyday for seven days.

reply to post by defcon5


The first thing I compared it to was asbestos.

Praised one day, part of a lawyers tv commercial the next.

My old pool filter used it as the filter media.

When my filter body cracked I bought a sand filter since it was lower maintenance.

I wish I had my DE filter back,

It was messy, but it kept the pool perfect, with the sand filter I have to use more chemicals for the same results.

Hmmmmmmm
My old pool filter used it as the filter media.

When my filter body cracked I bought a sand filter since it was lower maintenance.

I wish I had my DE filter back,

It was messy, but it kept the pool perfect, with the sand filter I have to use more chemicals for the same results.

I think you can sprinkle DE in the pool intake and coat the sand. I use a high power UV irradiator followed by a cartridge filter and mine is clear all year. Have you considered borating the pool? That helps too. And it kills fleas.

make sure to get food grade. you can put it on the floors , pets, and also take it yourself. watch out , because it is a really fine pwder. it works great. i have used it on everything and also took it myself.