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Killing Spiders, Ants and Other Bugs Naturally With Diatomaceous Earth
Getting rid of spiders and other yucky bugs the blulow way.
For those of you who are pool owners and use diatomaceous earth filters, you've got one up on knowing how to say it, but the type of diatomaceous (DE) in your pool is different than the one used to kill bugs. DE for your pool is laden with chemicals and not safe to sprinkle around the house. The DE for killing bugs is 'food grade' DE. DE is a naturally occurring substance. It is made from water plant fossils (these algae like plants are called diatoms). The fossils are ground into a powdery consistency. Diatomaceous earth Additionally, avoid getting it in your eyes because it is extremely irritating. Imagine having ground fossils in your eyes. Yes, pretty scratchy. Aside from those two words of caution, it is not harmful. Whether you know it or not, you have probably eaten diatomaceous earth, indirectly ore even directly. Some farmers use it in their crops or in their animal feed to get rid of bugs. Sprinkle it around the outside of your house and/or inside where bugs seem to frequent. Here's how it works. Bugs, any type of bug with an external skeletal structure are affected if DE touches them. DE's properties serve to disintegrate the bug's Not to sound flippant because the thought of it evokes a bit sympathetic for the bugs, but then ponder for a moment a bugs death via toxic bug spray and/or chemicals. Just think about how much damage bug spray causes. The bug either drowns by the sheer volume of bug spray (if you use bug spray the way my daughter does), or it is poisoned to death by the chemicals. Keep in mind that the chemicals do not immediately dissipate after the bug dies. The smell and chemicals linger around for a while which cannot be very healthy for the humans and pets who also inhale the toxic residue. DE can be found in the garden section of your home improvement store. The bag as shown in the picture here contains 4 pounds and cost $7.97 at the local Home Depot. Be advised, however, that DE does not repel bugs. It only kills them. Additional Reading:
This document last modified Saturday, 28-Jun-2008 14:00:09 EDT | |||
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Tidbits & Stuff was born on Thursday, March 9, 2006
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Can you say diatomaceous earth? That's pronounced - dahy-uh-tuh-mey-shuh s earth. It's a mouthful, but it's a great all natural, non chemical item to have around the house for killing all types of bugs.
is naturally occurring and not harmful unless you breathe it in. One of the characteristics of the powdery substance is that it sticks to anything moist, i.e., like the lining of your lungs and mucus cavity. Therefore, when using it, make sure to wear a protective mask to cover your nose to avoid inhaling it.
skeletal structure. It sounds gross, but this is what happens. A bug walks through the DE and it's skeletal structure breaks down and poof. . .it dies.
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