What is Diatomaceous Earth?

Technical Report from USDA (Alan K. Dowdy ) Diatomaceous earth for insect management will reduce the amount of traditional chemical insecticides used in the food processing industry.  Additionally, it will further minimize worker safety issues associated with structural fumigation as well as the potential of toxins inadvertently contaminating food products.

PART 185--TOLERANCES FOR PESTICIDES IN FOOD--Table of Contents
Subpart B--Food Additives Permitted in Food for Human Consumption
Sec. 185.1700  Diatomaceous earth.
The food additive diatomaceous earth may be safely used in accordance with the following conditions. Application shall be limited
solely to spot and/or crack and crevice treatments in food processing and food storage areas in accordance with the prescribed conditions:
    (a) It is used or intended for use for control of insects in food
processing and food storage areas: Provided, That the food is removed or
covered prior to such use

This page is set up for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or conditions. While the FDA has labeled it food grade, and approved diatomaceous earth for human and animal consumption, the FDA has not approved DE as an internal parasite control. Many farmers have claimed that when fed regularly to their animals that it has eliminated parasites, increased the overall health, and has greatly reduced medical bills. Diatomaceous Earth will dehydrate any soft-bodied insect or insect larva. We receive many testimonials from customers who have been using diatomaceous earth in their diet and who are very pleased with the results.

It is a non-toxic, safe substance made up from crushed fossils of freshwater organisms and marine life. Crushed to a fine powder and observed through a microscope, Diatomaceous Earth is a natural occurring siliceous sedimentary mineral compound from microscopic skeletal remains of unicellular algae-like plants called diatoms. These plants have been part of the earth's ecology since prehistoric times. Diatoms are basic to the oceanic cycle, and the food for minute animal life which in turn becomes the food for higher forms of marine life. As living plants, diatoms weave microscopic shells from the silica they extract from the water, and then as they die, deposits are formed and then fossilized in what are now dried lake and ocean beds.

Diatomaceous Earth has a unique combination of physical properties:

High Porosity: Up to eighty-five percent of the volume of Diatomaceous Earth is made up of tiny interconnected pores and voids. It is quite literally more air than diatom. The product is a fine powder, white to gray in color. Diatomaceous Earth is approved for use as an anti-caking agent in livestock and poultry feeds. Nutritional Research Assoc., Inc. makes no claims about diatomaceous earth other than for approved uses. Test results (University of Illinois) in 1966 show that the use of the product does not harm animals or leave residues in milk or meat.

Manufacturing companies don't really want their profitable poisons replaced by an inexpensive, non-toxic, naturally occurring, low margin material found in 27 countries of the world. When DE organisms die, the shells pile up on the bottom to form deposits. These deposits are then mined from underwater beds or from ancient dried lake bottoms. Once DE is mined, it can be milled or processed into a myriad of types for an even greater variety of uses today's products and processes, from toothpaste to cigars, plastics to paprika, filter media in swimming pools to home fish tanks, as well as insect and parasite control in animals and grains.. Filtering and filler are the two main uses but DE also ends up in paints, cosmetics, drugs, chemical insecticides, etc. Because the milling produces different sized and shaped particles, it is important NOT to use the filtering type for agricultural purposes. It has small sharp edges which can damage tiny parasites, larvae, on stored grain, in animal manure, on infected plants and in the stomachs of livestock and people.
Since it also has an attractive mineral composition, DE users have reported five distinct uses on the farm: grain storage, de-worming, mineralization, deodorizing/absorption, and insecticidal dusting. APPROVED FEED ADDITIVE
The EPA has approved DE as an additive in feed for use as an anti-caking agent and has exempted it from tolerance requirements as an inert, inactive ingredient in chemical pesticides. Any uses other than those presented here are strictly reports of what farmers have done with the material.

Animal Use - Suggested Feeding and Application Rates:

Beef Cattle		1% by weight of dry ration
Cats		½ teaspoon / day
Horses		½ - 1 cup in daily ration
Chickens		5% in feed
Large Dogs		1 tablespoon / day
Small Dogs		1 teaspoon / day
Sheep		1% in ground grain
Goats		1% in grain

Rub powder at full strength into the coat for fleas and sprinkle on bedding 1 tsp. per daily ration, rub at full strength into coat for fleas and sprinkle on bedding.  Diatomaceous Earth can be used as a dust or spray for control of flies and other insects in buildings, on pastures, crops and trees.

PARASITE CONTROL
DE has been used for at least two decades as a natural wormer for livestock. It is believed that the DE scratches and dehydrates parasites. Some scientists believe that the DE is a de-ionizer or de-energizer of the worms or parasites. Regardless of the method of operation, farmers report definite control. For effective use, the DE must be fed long enough to catch all the newly hatching eggs or cycling of the worms through the lungs and back to the stomach. A minimum of 60 days is suggested at 2% of dry weight of the grain ration. Caution: do not give to very small pregnant animals such as cats, guinea pigs, etc. and do not feed continually to babies or very small adult animals such as cats, hamsters, etc. The material may be fed on a continuous basis to larger livestock for continuous parasite control and mineralization which is the next major use.

If you began feeding DE to your poultry and noticed a gain in production, what could the gain be attributed to? The obvious answer would be that the DE reduced the parasite population which resulted in decreased stress on the animal and increased food assimilation. But what about the "mineral" content of the DE? If oyster shell meal provides calcium, then finely ground DE may also provide a broad-spectrum of naturally occurring cheated minerals. These include calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphate, sodium, titanium, potassium and others. Numerous reports of gain have been reported when adding DE: to a ration. With lack of mineralization in modern grains, it isn't hard to conceive of mineral benefits from a finely ground natural mineral product. An Alabama study on hogs showed complete stopping of wood feeder chewing when DE was added to the feed ration. Feeding at 2% of grain ration can take care of both de-worming and mineralization. Most livestock will acquire a "taste" for the mineral if a small amount is mixed in with other feed. After acquiring a "taste" for DE they may take it free-choice.
DEODORIZATION/ABSORPTION
The third major farm use can be an added benefit from the first two uses. Deodorizing and absorption are natural functions of DE. These will continue to happen as undigested DE passes through with manure. Reduced fly hatching is usually observed in manure from fed DE. Some hog farmers are also spreading it in bedding (for odor and moisture control) in addition to that coming through the manure.
FLY CONTROL/INSECTICIDE
Fly control is a major problem with livestock operations. DE can be placed in tightly woven burlap bags and hung in doorways. Livestock will be attracted to it and work the bag until their heads are covered with powder which repels flies. In closed areas, DE can be fogged with hand cranked or electric foggers to wipe out flies. Since the DE "kill" is always mechanical in nature, it is important that the material come in direct contact with the insect. Mixing DE with things flies are attracted to around the farm may cause them to ingest DE in their attempts to eat the attractant. Besides fly control, DE can be used as an insecticide on most crops. In 1943 the USDA found that DE had an 86% mortality against pea weevil. On California cotton fields, DE was found to be more effective than insecticides and the yield was substantially increased (Tucker, 1978). Other tests indicate that DE is effective in controlling aphids, brown mites, red spider mites, twig bores, oriental fruit moths and coddling moths in orchards (Alien, 1972: DeCrusta, 1979). Field use of DE had several problems not sticking to the vegetation is the main one. Apply DE when plants are moist from natural or artificial sources to aid sticking but re-application is usually necessary after a heavy rain.

Insect Control - Suggested Application Rates:

Dust after rain, overhead irrigation, or after a heavy dew to increase sticking of the powder. Dust plant upward from the ground, covering all stems, top and underside of leaves. For enclosed area use 1/2 to 3/4 pound per 1000 square feet. Hang dust bags in doorways of barns, milking parlors, etc. Sprinkle in areas where ants and roaches are present or areas in which they run, such as baseboards, under sinks, etc.

 

As a Spray: Mix two pounds per gallon of water with a wetting agent. Rates as low as 1/4 pound per 5 gallons water with a wetting agent has been effective. Be sure to keep mixture agitated.

Trees: Sprinkle liberally on the ground and around tree trunks. Tree trunks can also be painted with a mixture of Diatomaceous Earth, water, flax soap or a wetting agent. This will inhibit migration of various fruit flies (maggot stage), worms and the Japanese Beetle (grub stage). When a spray is desired, refer to spray rates

918-367-9792

Kill’em Right

Insects will not become immune to it’s action

              Kill bugs the Earth friendly way

To contact us:

918-367-9792

contact@bugright.com