From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Has anyone used this as a natural pesticide for AG's? A local seed company sells it for just $17.00 for a 50 pound bag. I was thinking about adding it to my other pesticides to try to knock out the cucumber beetles. They seem to get bad for me by late August until freeze up. From what I read, it is not a poison but an extremely fine glass type substance that get's into the bug's body and tears it up. That would seem to eliminate any chance of the bugs building up a resistance to it. It is suposed to be saf enough to eat, which is a plus when I have a young son working in the patch.

2/7/2006 12:46:29 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Applying it is a problem I see.

2/7/2006 2:22:04 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

DE aint something you want to be breathing into your lungs.
it comes from the skeletons of microscopic freshwater organisms, it works by peircing the extoskeletons of insects and they then dehydrate and die.

2/7/2006 3:09:55 PM

Indiana

works great on slugs couldnt be worse than breathing some of the chems we spray

2/7/2006 7:32:26 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

DE works on insects (and slugs) that crawl or walk on it. Cucumber Beetles fly to their dinner & breeding grounds.

2/7/2006 10:10:02 PM

Circleville ,OH.

We used DE by the tons in filter systems where I work at and one thing I can tell you is you dont want to use this stuff around small children. Like the Borer said very bad for the lungs.

2/8/2006 11:28:08 PM

Mocksville, NC

I'm sorry to say, but i hate that crap! we use it at work in some of or machines to bond with griding metal in filter system. I was reading the 50lb bag the other day it said plainly on the warning do not breath it, and known to cause cancer. I have to work around it, thats bad enough, im not having it around the house. And yes it does kill some soft bodied bugs it cuts them then they dry out, Its fossilized sea creatures all crushed to a powder.

2/9/2006 5:32:14 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I found both good and bad reports on DE in internet searches. From comments received, I think I will stay away from this product. Main concerns are breathing the dust and what it will do to my worms. Thanks for the comments.

2/9/2006 12:41:14 PM