Diatomaceous earth

[milkandsam]

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

 

[jaizei]

Looks like it.

 

[Careym13]

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

 

[ZEROPILOT]

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

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Food Grade is the one to use.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

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

 

[Keith D.]

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.

 

[milkandsam]

Awesome!! Thanks

 

[Angel Carrion]

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.

 

[milkandsam]

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!

 

[Angel Carrion]

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.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

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.

 

[pepsiandjac]

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

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

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.

 

[pepsiandjac]

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

 

[Careym13]

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!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

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.

 

[pepsiandjac]

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

 

[Angel Carrion]

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?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

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.