Diatomaceous Earth Flea Control

cavework

Has anyone tried this and did it work?
I was talking to a pest controler today who uses it and swears by it.
Says it's a lot cheaper than Frontline combo and more effective.

Frugalista

I too have heard about this and would also be interested to hear if anyone has tried it.

The only thing I am a little peturbed about is that it says not to breathe it in - so what happens when the animal grooms/nibbles itself or shakes? It would certainly be brilliant (if it is safe and works) for my gang of "furries".

cavework

Apparently it has to be the FOOD GRADE and one tea spoonful is enough rubbed into the coat.
The Romans used this and ignore any sell by date .. these microscopic thingys are over 2 million years old?
If pets ingest it there is no problem as long as it is FOOD GRADE
Some people actually take it as a supplement to their own diets, some add it to their pets food
Googling says that inhaling it is no worse than baby talc ..just don't go OTT.
I just thought I would add this thread as the person I spoke to was someone who is qualified to work with all sorts of insect infestations including fleas.
One other thing he told me .. spray your house with Flea killer (ie Frontline) but please don't vacume for at least 24 HRs .. also the Flea treatments do not kill Larva , so be prepared to re treat your home again , maybe for the next 18
months
As this is Money Saver I just thought I would pass this on and ask if anyone has tried this already ?

There_Goes_Trouble

Haven't heard about this.

Will need to do more research before I consider it, but where would you buy it?

Fire_Fox

Please don't take advice from anyone other than your veterinarian/ nurse about home remedies. Bear in mind the prescription vet products are effective on some worms and ear mites not just fleas. Humans and felines are totally different species, in any case most people who take DE as a supplement don't know anything about nutrition.

cavework

Trouble ,, the person I talked to said most pet stores sold it but it is avaliable on the internet.
I have done a load of googling and so far I have found , as long as it is FOOD GRADE it is safe.
He told me that Fleas and other insects have a shell that contains their body fluids.
They don't drink water or hydrate.. the fluids are there . The DE is like very sharp tiny grains of sand .. harmless to mamals , but will cut into the exoskeleton (hope thats right) of insects.
Once this happens they die of dehydration and literally drop off.
Another treatment for Ticks is to spray some fly killer (ie RAID) onto a ceramic tile and use a tiny paint brush to apply to the tick .. 24 hrs later it will drop off including the head,.. this is only what this person told me , but he is a professional .

cavework

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Please don't take advice from anyone other than your veterinarian/ nurse about home remedies. Bear in mind the prescription vet products are effective on some worms and ear mites not just fleas. Humans and felines are totally different species, in any case most people who take DE as a supplement don't know anything about nutrition.

This is not a home remedy .. this is a person who runs a pest control company,
He has to hold a license and be fully aware of all chemicals used and the risk to humans and pets
I am just interested if anyone has actually used this?

libra10

About a year ago my husband bought some diatomaceous earth from Ebay. We had an outbreak of red mite in our small chicken coop.

He bought a very large quantity - at a fantastic price, and coated both inside and outside the coop, also stroked through the hens' feathers.

It seemed to clear most of the mite, but not all, and they kept returning.

He has now creosoted the hen coop and is eventually going to restock.

For lists of Ebay sellers

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=diatomaceous+earth&_lncat=0&_arm=1&_armm=94&_ruu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fsch%2FClothes-Shoes-Accessories-%2F11450%2Fi.html%3F_nkw%3Ddiatomaceous%2Bearth%26_arr%3D1&_armi=Clothes%2C+Shoes+%26+Accessories

Good luck

cavework

This seems to have been used for lots of different insect problems to do with all types of animals.

Fire_Fox

cavework wrote: »

This is not a home remedy .. this is a person who runs a pest control company,
He has to hold a license and be fully aware of all chemicals used.
I am just interested if anyone has actually used this?

It is a home remedy however you dress it up, that person is trained to KILL insects not treat cats. You are asking for advice on treating parasite infestations, a veterinary condition.

cavework

Fire_Fox wrote: »

It is a home remedy however you dress it up, that person is trained to KILL insects not treat cats. You are asking for advice on treating parasite infestations, a veterinary condition.

So why is this already used with no ill effects as far as I can find on Google by a whole host of people with varying types of animals?
Firefox .. I understand your concerns and I am in no way pushing using this . I would just be interested in knowing if anyone has tried this remedy already and the results.
I am going to contact my Vet on Monday . Will let you know the result