Diatomaceous earth - how many of you use it as a pesticide?

[newbury]

When I grew up in the late '60's I worked at a pet shop and raised a lot of tropical fish. At the time I sometimes used DE (diatomaceous earth) for filtering, especially when breeding Discus.
Now I'm trying to learn the best way to use it as a pesticide. I had been buying it from "Do My Own", @ ~ $10/lb, mainly for spider control. But now I'm finding it for $30 for a 50lb bag.
So - anyone else using it routinely? Any advice?

 

[rumwrks]

Yeah, it works for some things pretty well... You need to apply it fairly frequently as it mostly stops working if it gets wet or blows off. If we're dealing with an infestation we'll apply it at least once a week preferably every 2-3 days. It also helps if you can use a puffer of some sort (I found an old hand pump one from a farm sale that works pretty well.. was probably originally used for something like DDT hah).

I haven't really used it for spider control, more for mites and flea beetles on plants.

I buy 50lb bags of it and also add it to my starting mix to add silica which helps form more robust plant cells.

Note that there are rounder and sharper forms of diatoms so if you're using it for pest control you want to check that you're using the sharper/pokier ones for best efficacy. Some (most of the home store) of the 50lb bags are "pool filter diatoms" and are the rounder ones which don't work very well for pesticide. I buy from a bulk ag supply company.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I have used it on occasion.
I do plan on putting a dusting of DE and Boric Acid inside the walls of my addition before drywall to keep future cockroaches from becoming a problem.

 

[garry1p]

I have used it for preventing ants getting into my remote electrical outlets and breaker box.
Not sure how I could use it for spiders

 

[jaxs]

My understanding is that DE only helps control insects which have exoskeletons which does include spiders.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have used it multiple times. Once, many years ago, we bought a used couch that had bed bugs. We dusted everything, after getting a pest control quote of like $1000... It look time, and high heat, drying everything, but did the trick.

More recently, I had ants infesting the chicken feed barrel, as well as the dog food barrel. Sprinkle like a fist full, in the feed barrels and it "mostly" solved it. Got ir under control.

Used it in concrete floored shed, for fleas and spiders and such, and it didn't kill the fleas on the dogs; However, I think it helped along with flea meds.

It's messy, doesn't work outside, and yiu don't really want it inside; it's best used in sheds, barns, ect

 

[paulsharvey]

I have also heard that if you put a pretty good layer under your porch, or in a crawl space, snakes not like it. "They" say it doesn't hurt the snakes, but it get between scales and kinda has a chaffing effect, and noone likes chaffing

 

[Doofy]

I use DE in the well box as well as some Boric Acid Traps made with pill bottles and cotton balls. Keeps those pesky ants from eating holes in my foam insulation.

 

[Gem99ultra]

DE seems to be the forgotten best insect deterent every discovered. But, it seems to be difficult to find in most stores; why I can't imagine. Their profit margin has grown nicely over the years. I recall having bought it for use in water treatment chemical manufacturing (back in the younger days) for $0.05/pound. Ahh, but have prices of everything gone up...

 

[paulsharvey]

DE seems to be the forgotten best insect deterent every discovered. But, it seems to be difficult to find in most stores; why I can't imagine. Their profit margin has grown nicely over the years. I recall having bought it for use in water treatment chemical manufacturing (back in the younger days) for $0.05/pound. Ahh, but have prices of everything gone up...

Farm stores often carry large bags; but I'm not 100% sure it's exactly the same thing. Is there a difference between the white and gray?