Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth or DE, is the fossilized skeletal remains of plankton called Diatoms. Where the Diatoms have died in massive numbers, a sedimentary deposit forms. It is a form of Amorphous Silica.
For an insect, crawling through DE, it is scratchy like crawling through crushed glass. When the insects are injured they don’t heal like we do. They will dehydrate and die. For this reason, DE is used for the control of many insects and it’s chemical-free.
Bed Bugs – Dust over mattresses taking particular attention to getting the product under piping and edge stitching. Place a dish of DE under each of the bed legs or castors to limit the Bed Bugs from spreading around the room.
Ants – DE will deplete their population but unless the DE gets back to the nest, it won’t kill the queen or destroy the next generation of worker ants.
Soil Pests – Most importantly, earth worms are not harmed by DE and for this reason it is used in compost bins and worm farms to enrich the compost while killing off other pests. In particular, Cockchafers (Rhinoceros Beetle larvae), eat the healthy roots of plants and once the roots are damaged, fusarium wilt can enter the plant, usually killing a plant which was once healthy and thriving. Nematodes are microscopic worms which attack the roots of plants and testing has shown that DE can be effective at controlling them.
Plant Protection – Simply dust DE over and under leaves to deplete the population of leaf eaters such as grass-hoppers grubs and caterpillars. It will harm them inside and out. The excess product will fall or wash off into the surrounding soil where it will offer further benefits for the plant.
Poultry – Mix with grain or laying pellets to worm the gut. Also mix DE with fine sand or dry dusty earth to create a dusting bath. Chickens will dust themselves to control mites.
Dogs – Mix into your dog’s food to assist with worming and if your dog has an area in the yard where they like to lay, dust the area with DE for flea control.
Livestock – DE is often given to livestock such as cows, horses and goats as a wormer. To research information regarding dosage rates, get first hand knowledge from farmers who are using it. There are plenty of articles on the internet. The residual DE in animal manure will kill maggots therefore reducing fly problems.
As a soil additive, silica is drawn up by plants to create strong cell walls. This will make them more resistant to insect or wind damage.
As freighting costs are constantly changing, so is the cost of transporting this product. For tonne loads, please contact us for a current price.
The mine is going through a change of ownership and a new crushing plant is being constucted, therefore supply is limited until later this year. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Additional information
Weight | N/A |
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Dimensions | N/A |
Size | 1 Kg Fine, 1 Kg Super Fine, 4 Kg Poultry Grade, 20 Kg Animal Grade, 20 Kg Poultry Grade, Tonne Agricultural, Tonne Animal Grade, Tonne Poultry Grade |