Diatomaceous Earth = Magic Unicorn Dust

(If you have not read Paul's article http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp then you should go read it - I will wait for you here

I love food grade diatomaceous earth. My family loves diatomaceous earth.

What makes DE so magical that my 6 year old son will remind me that he has not had his "dirt" today and ask me for some DE?

Here is where the magic lies for me: If I could condense down millennia of climates, micro climates, weather patterns, flaura, fauna, geological changes, polar shifts, ice ages, etc. etc. and put them into a mug and drink them every day, what would I be drinking? Magic Unicorn Dust? No. Diatomaceous Earth. Yes, of course.

DE is mined from the earth. Each DE mine is unique because it articulates the geological history of that specific region. Each DE mine has its own "brand" of DE that has high silica , but also unique trace mineral content that can only be found from that specific mine.

Our family has used just about every "brand" of DE that is out there. For us, we decided on the DE that has a high level of calcium bentonite (volcanic ash) in it because the miracle of calcium bentonite is almost as great as that of DE.

Regardless of which brand of DE you like best, I am sure that you will find it about as magical as unicorn dust.

I had heard of fairy dust. I wasn't familiar with the idea that unicorns made dust as well.

I'm planning to try some DE.

Justin Wood wrote:(If you have not read Paul's article http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp then you should go read it - I will wait for you here

I love food grade diatomaceous earth. My family loves diatomaceous earth.

Yep. That is a really good article too. I had not thought of eating the stuff, but maybe I will now. How do you disguise it and could it damage the enamel of my teeth?
Because it has to be dry to be effective, I was looking for a place where the chickens would have access that stayed dry. They have a favorite spot in the yard where they scratch and roll in the dirt. In the summer or in between rain spells, I do that. I have placed a roof over that spot and they love it. The rest of the time, I use it in the nest boxes of the chicken coop. My girls don't have lice or worms and their coat is nice and shiny as a result. The rooster was more of a problem because he never goes in the nest boxes and I've never seen him roll in the dirt. I suppose he must sometimes but I wanted him to have some too. At night, when he was roosting, I sprinkled a good handful on his back. He did not object. I think I'll keep doing that when I think he needs it. I have sprinkled some on the floor too but I hate to throw it away along with their sawdust bedding.

We use it in the lapidary(making big stones into little precious stones)we use it for polishing stones when the price of the usual chemicals go up too high.  Put on the polishing laps(leather discs or denim discs)onto the machine.  Put some of the powder in a bowl and spray with water.  Use a toothbrush to apply to the polishing cream to the disc.  Turn on the machine and press the stone against the leather disc.  When the powder dries out use the toothbrush to apply more wet powder to the disc.  Continue working until the stone is polished.  This is a rather quick explanation but you will get the general idea of the application.  Have been doing this for 30 plus years.
You can use it in a rock tumbler but the tumbling powders are much superior and come in various grits.  It is only used when you don't have something better to work with.

I read about diatomaceous earth a while ago and re-read Paul's article on it now. It does sound awesome. I always wondered though, isn't it as not-practically-renewable as fossil fuels given it is produced over geological timescales and then mined?

Justin Wood wrote:
What makes DE so magical that my 6 year old son will remind me that he has not had his "dirt" today and ask me for some DE?

While it's uses are many, I would warn people not to think of it as an everyday item to consume, and probably would not get kids thinking it's magic candy.  Eating it every day is totally unecessary, and some say the abrasive nature of the powder will break down the mucous lining of organs, including the intestines.  

For effective parasite usage, I would recommend it about once a week for a severe probem, and maybe once a month while there are no parasites visible and no symptoms.  Parasites are easily destroyed and it takes time for them to re-establish in your system.

I love it as an insect barrier and have used it to get rid of crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, JJapanese beetle grubs, scorpions, and other insects with an exoskeleton.  

Bed bugs is my number one favorite use.  I sprinkle a little on a pillow case and sheets, as I've had them bite my wife at even large hotel chains.  It does not seem effective on anything small, or anything large.

We dust our dogs with DE during flea season, works great.

When we replaced carpet with tile we put a layer under the baseboards of each room.  No ants in those rooms even when wet weather has driven them inside in other areas.

I love DE. Great in the house or outside for creating a barrier that critters won't cross -when it is dry.

20 + years ago I rented a room to someone who brought in a flea infested kitten. I dusted the entire house with DE. I also put shallow pans of oil under the night lights in every room, and the fleas jump at the lights in the dark, fall into the oil - :) . I kept it up for 2 months just to get through all their cycles. Chemical free and flea free. Cover the dog/cats nose and mouth, and mine, and rub in their coat.

Put a solid line of it behind kitchen cabinets/appliances or anywhere ants or other unwelcomed critters may try to gain access.

On dry ground put down a perimeter and slugs and other crawlies won't cross it.

Here is where I get confused - my understanding is when it gets wet it stops working, so it has to get wet in the digestive tract - no? How is it effective when it is consumed?

It's not so much that DE stops working when wet, but as used outdoors, rain will tend to settle it/ dilute it/ push it into the ground.  It's the sharp bones of tiny creatures and is effective when swallowed... maybe more effective when used in a glass of water, yet seems to work well in chicken feed, horse pellets, dog food and the like.  Nearly all graineries put it in with the grain.  It's not like we can choose to avoid it.  Just sometimes our parisites get out of control.  It's the absolute most effective thing we can use on parasites and super low-cost tout-bout... or ta boot, as the english say.

In another post - https://permies.com/t/99272/critters/Dust-bath#818458  -  Redhhawk confirms DE is ineffective when wet.

DE doesn't do anything when it gets wet but when it dries back out it works again, this is because food grade DE is so fine a powder and it is the sharp cutting edges on the diatom that do the damage to insects.

- Redhhawk

How is Magic Unicorn Dust effective internally, or during any application, when it is wet?

Dean Howard wrote:

Justin Wood wrote:
What makes DE so magical that my 6 year old son will remind me that he has not had his "dirt" today and ask me for some DE?

Bed bugs is my number one favorite use.  I sprinkle a little on a pillow case and sheets, as I've had them bite my wife at even large hotel chains.  It does not seem effective on anything small, or anything large.

Interesting...I'm going to a rustic cabin in a PA state park very soon. I'm a little worried about bugs (bed and otherwise). I have a small bag of DE I've never used. Maybe I could sprinkle some around the bed. Any tips on how much to use?

I used DE in a regime to heal my digestion. I was using it as a general parasite cleanse but used it after  an extreme low fodmap/sucrose free/low frustose diet. I had previously suffered from poor liver health which meant chronic severe chemical allergies and food intolerances. After using the DE I can eat everything, my gut absorption is healed and I can eat anything (bread glorious bread!) I want and I'm not so severely allergic to the modern world. My aim is not of course to expose myself to chemicals, but it was so hard to avoid. Now if people with strong perfume walk past me at the shops, nothing happens. Before, I would have been in bed for days.
I think the benefit of using it for parasite cleanse over herbal approaches is it is not toxic, a lot of parasite poisons (even natural ones) are quite strong and so if you are really debilitated its too hard to go through the process. With DE it is gentle and you just ensure you frequently use it to break the cycle of eggs shedding, hatching etc. You also DON"T need to know what the parasite is! Tests for parasites are expensive here and I am sure there are many that have never been identified or had tests developed.

I use a dusting bulb similar to this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Use-Pest-Control-Duster/dp/B014V9RIFK/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3I1BSAAZJ0QI4&dchild=1&keywords=dusting+bulb&qid=1607095984&sprefix=dusting+bul%2Caps%2C354&sr=8-17
It allows you to squirt it into cracks, under baseboards, between mattresses, etc.

Jerry

Jerry Sledge wrote:I use a dusting bulb similar to this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Use-Pest-Control-Duster/dp/B014V9RIFK/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3I1BSAAZJ0QI4&dchild=1&keywords=dusting+bulb&qid=1607095984&sprefix=dusting+bul%2Caps%2C354&sr=8-17
It allows you to squirt it into cracks, under baseboards, between mattresses, etc.

Jerry

I have a bellows that can blow stuff in the cracks. It is the same principle. I mounted a tube and funnel on top so I can squirt stuff i the cracks. Just like yours, it works slicker than snot.

I considered the bellows, but it seemed a little delicate for my use. I also don't use the small funnel (if mine came with one). the cap screws into the bulb and I discovered the a vodka bottle screws right in and is much bigger funnel. just had to cut off the bottom. Also, in a pinch, a condiment bottle (old restaurant style) works just fine.

Jerry Sledge wrote:I considered the bellows, but it seemed a little delicate for my use. I also don't use the small funnel (if mine came with one). the cap screws into the bulb and I discovered the a vodka bottle screws right in and is much bigger funnel. just had to cut off the bottom. Also, in a pinch, a condiment bottle (old restaurant style) works just fine.

Cool. I used the bellows system for a different application, so I had it already primed. Smart idea bout using the Vodka bottle as a screw on! You could indeed spray more in one squirt!

I guess I didn't describe it properly. I am using the vodka bottle for a large funnel to fill the bulb.

Bestt Westernn, who would like to remain anonymoose has on two occasions allowed bed bugs to give my wife red welts... in two locations.  Since they have a nice jaccuzi, and a TV for the SuperBowl... sometimes we can't seem to stay away.  We always take DE to any hotel from now on.  Then there's roaches, scorpions, crickets, grasshoppers, japanese beetles, anything with an exoskeleton... maybe lice?... and parasites.

Lice can be controlled with tea tree essential oil mixed in coconut oil. Coconut oil can kill the lice and tea tree can kill the eggs.

I  occasionally sprinkle a little on my dogs kibble to control parasites.

Only thing I would dispute here is comparing silica to flour. Flour dissolves in water and silica does not and so there will be a different result if breathed in. Don't breathe it in.

I used DE in my terrarium to get rid of bugs, but they weren't very affected. Some walked around all covered with the white dust and it didn't seem too much of a problem for them. A thick, dry layer of DE did stop them from walking on it (they just walked around), but I think ash would do the same. I hope it's good for the soil, because I restarted the terrarium recently (I lost the battle with mites) and most of the soil went into my compost bin, along with layers of DE, organic bug repellent, and hundreds of mites, springtails, isopodes and some earthworms.