What is Diatomaceous earth (DE)? The following excerpts are from Kellene's article. [Emphasis added is mine.]
...Well, it’s a HECK of a lot better than oxygen absorbers. It doesn’t suffocate wheat and it easily takes care of the weevil eggs that are inherent in all wheat. (The better the quality of wheat though, the less you have.) Oh, and it’s good for you too!Let’s start with the wheat first though. Wheat is actually intended to be a living, breathing organism when you eat it. I’m sure you’ve heard or read of “the staff of life” before, right? It is actually living, just like a seed. So you actually WANT it to continue to breathe a bit. Just like anything else you want to sprout, you want this to essentially stay alive. So putting oxygen absorbers in it essentially sucks the life out of it. Eating “dead” wheat vs. ‘live” wheat is essentially the difference between eating freezer-burned produce and freshly picked. That’s not to say it’s a “no-no” to do so. It’s just not the best way to have your wheat...
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is actually the remains of fossilized algae. It’s found in deposits from seas and lakes all over the Western US and is usually about 1,000 years old when it is mined...
Here are the downsides to diatomaceous earth. You don’t want to get it in your eyes. It will irritate them by drying them. It’s also drying to your skin if you are in long-term contact with it. (I HATE that feeling.) It will also kill beneficial insects such as lady bugs and bees. So be sure you want to use it where you place it.What else is it used for? Maybe the better question would be what can't it be used for? Here's a fairly comprehensive list of the uses of food grade diatomaceous earth I found at the Wolf Creek Ranch website. [Emphasis added is mine.]
INTERNAL PARASITE CONTROL: Food grade diatomaceous earth makes a very effective natural insecticide. The insecticidal quality of diatomaceous earth is due to the razor sharp edges of the diatom remains. When diatomaceous earth comes in contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery diatomaceous earth absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration.
Food grade diatomaceous earth has been used for at least two decades as a natural wormer for livestock…
Food grade diatomaceous earth works in a purely physical/mechanical manner, not "chemical" and thus has no chemical toxicity. Best yet, parasites don’t build up a tolerance/immunity to its chemical reaction, so rotation of wormers is unnecessary…
Internal feeding of food grade diatomaceous earth helps eliminate most internal worms, including roundworms, pin worms, tapeworms, etc. It's also excellent when fed daily to keep down fly loads, since food grade diatomaceous earth is eliminated from the body, exactly the way it went in, it helps reduce the manure odor and kills flies that come in contact with it.
Mix in animal feed or grain and/or feed free choice. Our goats, fowl, and dogs eat it free choice. …
*Some recommend to dose humans by mixing food grade diatomaceous earth in a glass of water before bed or first thing in the morning, well before breakfast, to allow diatomaceous earth time to move through and absorb toxins from ones digestive tract without interfering or absorbing nutrients from foods or liquids. Some report great results consuming 1 tsp. in a glass of water prior to each meal, 3x/day. …
… Remember, the diatomaceous earth MUST come in contact with the worms in order to "dehydrate" them and since worms can kill us or our pets and at the very least, cause disease, more is better to prevent having to deal with disease or death...
HOME APPLICATIONS: If you are building a new home, barn, or other structure that is the perfect time to use DE and apply it on the inside of the walls, before installing insulation, in the attic, etc. to prevent pesky bugs now and in the future. DE helps provide a nice safe home environment that doesn't have fleas, mites, ticks, flies, silverfish, cockroaches, bedbugs, centipedes, earwigs, ants - carpenter ants, red ants, black ants, and all other insects and bugs.
EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS FOR DOGS & CATS: Lightly rub food grade diatomaceous earth into pets coat, fur, and bedding to dehydrate fleas, lice, mites, and ticks. Dust them lightly, but thoroughly, as in order to kill the parasites, they must come in contact with the DE. Note, external application can take up to 72 hours to dehydrate external parasites...
EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS FOR LIVESTOCK, BARNS, COOPS, KENNELS, & LITTER BOXES: We use DE throughout the barn, fowl coops, and pastures. When mucking the barn and coops, I lightly, but thoroughly sprinkle diatomaceous earth absolutely everywhere! It keeps the kidding barn cleansed and dry. In between barn mucking, I sprinkle diatomaceous earth on wet spots to help dry them out and keep flies from laying eggs. It helps keep the crickets, ants, silverfish, roaches, earwigs, flies, mites, and all other disgusting insects from bothering us and our wonderful animals.
Food grade diatomaceous earth is excellent in the fowl coops – on the ground, in nesting/dusting boxes to prevent lice and mites. Sprinkle directly on fowl feathers to eliminate mites and lice. One thorough application of diatomaceous earth has their feathers growing back quickly.
Food grade diatomaceous earth applied to manure piles keeps fly loads down/eliminated.
Dairy cow owners put food grade diatomaceous earth in burlap bags, so cows can rub against it and sprinkle themselves with DE, which helps to eliminate flies, that land on them, as well as lice, mites, and ticks.
Deodorizing and absorption are natural functions of diatomaceous earth, so add to kitty litter to absorb odors and keep the litter box drier.
A small amount of food grade DE applied to livestock water keeps algae from growing on hot summer days. [We Call Her Momma: I’ll have to remember this one.] The amount of DE you need to apply depends on the size and color of the water container and climate temperature. Start by experimenting with a small amount of DE in the water container and increase as/if needed.
Food grade diatomaceous earth is great for compost piles, to prevent breeding pests and control odors. It will not harm earthworms, provided you just apply to the top of the compost or worm farm soil. The earthworms will slowly work the DE into the soil making them healthier, as well as the soil. Of course, if you put the earthworms in a bucket of DE, it will dehydrate them.
We use food grade diatomaceous earth on the barn floors at kidding time, instead of using lime which can be toxic. This helps prevent flies, mites, fleas, lice, earwigs, termites, and other pests from breeding and keeps the newborn kids healthy, happy, strong, and disease free.
YARD, GARDEN, & LANDSCAPE APPLICATIONS: DE’s minerals are great for the yard and gardens.
Apply DE to ant hills. Small ants, regardless of color, may require a few applications to completely eliminate them, as they burrow new hills elsewhere, after we cover their initial hill with DE, but if we keep at it, eventually they disappear. Big ants are eliminated within two applications of a reasonable amount of DE applied to their ant hill. Ants in trash cans can be controlled by either painting DE around the bottom of the trash can or sprinkling it dry around it. They'll go elsewhere, as they do not like walking over DE. Of course, you will need to find their home to completely eliminate them, but it will keep them away from areas you put DE. Sprinkled around the house foundation keeps new crawling insects from coming inside. ...
We mix food grade diatomaceous earth with water to paint our fruit tree trunks with it, like a white wash. The DE keeps ants OFF our fruit trees. 1 cup applied to ½ gallon of water works well. Be sure to stir frequently as the DE settles to the bottom. Good as a white wash for wood fencing too.
Food grade diatomaceous earth will not destroy earthworms, if applied to the top of the soil in worm farms and the worms are allowed to work it into the soil on their own. It is actually beneficial to the worms and compost just make sure to allow the worms to do the work and not bury them in the DE.
OUTDOOR BUGS AFFECTED BY DIATOMACEOUS EARTH: Ants, fire ants, caterpillars, cut worms, army worms, fleas, ticks, cockroaches, snails, spiders, termites, scorpions, silverfish, lice, mites, flies, centipedes, earwigs, slugs, aphids, Japanese beetles (grub stage), bed bugs, fruit flies, corn earworm, cucumber beetles, corn borer, sting bugs, squash vine borers, thrips, loopers, etc., etc.
Pests that lay eggs may require a second application to catch the hatching eggs.
MINERALIZATION: Natural food grade diatomaceous earth contains 15 trace minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc iron, phosphorous, selenium, etc. People note shinier coats, better overall health, better production, etc. in their animals who are fed food grade diatomaceous earth regularly.
FLY CONTROL: Used daily, DE helps eliminate our fly population here used in conjunction with beneficial/parasitic nematodes in wet or moist garden areas. Sprinkle DE on livestock when flies are present. Dust barns, coops, after mucking and throw on top of manure/compost piles. We feed it daily to all dogs, cats, fowl, and livestock, so it comes out in the manure of each animal as well and prevents flies from growing in the manures.
Farmers hang burlap bags full of diatomaceous earth for the cattle to rub against and keep themselves dusted, which eliminates flies and other pests that land on them.
GRAIN STORAGE & PROTECTION: Codex food grade diatomaceous earth is a healthy non-toxic alternative to chemical contamination of stored grain. ...
· NEVER use pool filter grade or any diatomaceous earth other than those labeled "Food Grade" for yourself or your animals. It can poison or kill them.
· Some people experience a healing crisis (detox reaction) when beginning DE consumption. If this occurs, reduce the dose, till your body is cleansed, and then increase to the RDA.
· Remember, DE will kill beneficial insects as well, so don't put it on your flowers where the honey bees go and use wisely.
We have used DE on our animals, in the barnyard and garden and in ridding pests. It did not work on our fire ants very well but now as I re-read Wolf Creek Ranch website I realize I probably wasn't as aggressive as I should have been in applying the DE multiple times. It was well over 100 degrees and I couldn't wait to get in the shade and out of the ant piles. We have also taken it internally for the health benefits. DE should definitely be in your larder.
FOOD GRADE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH BENEFITS SUMMARY:
· Natural wormer – eliminates many parasites without chemicals
· Safe, non-toxic, parasites don’t build immunity as they do with traditional wormers
· 15 trace minerals – great for animals, humans, plants, and soil
· No feed withdrawal for milk or feed animals
· Decreased mastitis
· Reduced scours
· Decreased mortality
· Better feed conversion
· Helps detox heavy metals, ecoli, bacteria, viruses, etc.
· Promotes shinier coats
· Digestive aid
· Colon cleanser
· Better production
· Better overall health
· Eliminates pests in stored grains
· Reduces flies, fleas, ticks, etc.
· Reduces manure odor
· Drying agent
· Reduces moisture and pests in barns, coops, kennel, litter boxes, compost piles, and other moist areas
· Anti-fungal properties – good for garden fungal growth
· Reduces overall animal stress
· Cost effective
· DE health benefits mean reduction in vet bills and disease
Disclaimer for disclaimer purposes only: Do your own research. I am not responsible for your actions or the consequences of your actions. Each person/animal has different reactions.
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