DE Info -1- What is Diatomaceous Earth?

DE is not new; it has been used for thousands of years. 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, then as they die, deposits are formed and then fossilized in what are now dried lake and ocean beds. The material is then mined, ground and screened to various grades, for the countless uses in 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.

Diatomaceous Earth is a natural (not calcined or flux calcined) compound with many elements which include:

Silicon Dioxide, Aluminum Oxide, Iron Oxide, Calcium Oxide, Magnesium Oxide, Other Oxides.

Semi quantitive spectrographic analysis of other elements:

Copper 2ppm, Strontium 100ppm, Titanium 1800ppm, Manganese 200ppm, Sodium 2000ppm, Vanadium 500ppm, Boron 50ppm, Zirconium 200ppm.

The insecticidal quality of DE is due to the razor sharp edges of the diatom remains. When DE comes contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bug's waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery DE absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration. Said more simply, DE kills insects by drying them up. There is no residual danger of contamination. In fact, DE is actually beneficial to the soil; it's loaded with trace minerals.

FILTER grade DE is used in swimming pool filters. It is ground different and heated. Therefore, it will not kill insects, but COULD kill your critters.

FOOD grade DE is approved by the FDA, EPA, AMDA.

Food grade DE is sold in feed stores and nurseries ~ 8 ounce shaker cans and bags in varies sizes up to 50 pounds.

There really is no down side to Diatomaceous Earth, except inhaling it! Like any flour type product, don't stick your nose in the bag and inhale! Folks with respiratory problems who use DE in a non-ventilated area wear a mask.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), December 23, 2000

Answers

Rogo, Thanks for the study session. I'm printing this out to have for the pop quizes (when someone new to the scene asks or I need it).

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 23, 2000.

== Rogo,

Thanks for the study session. I'm printing this out to have for the pop quizes (when someone new to the scene asks or I need it). ==

You're welcome, Jay! DE is great stuff. I feed it to all my critters. My chickens (aside from feeding it, I sprinkle it in the pens) have never had mites nor scaly leg, and the pens don't smell. The fecals are clean on my large livestock. (Never did fecals on the chooks!) The DE is terrific on the fire ant hills. I think it kills them off even faster than Amdro!

I'd never had fleas on my dogs, and they had a real bad case. I didn't even know what those critters were; had to ask the vet! I sprinkled DE on my carpet and the next day the dog's bodies were clean and there was a lot of dead insects on the floor, even scorpians! (This rental isn't sealed very well! -LOL- )

A lot of folks free feed the DE to their livestock. I plan to do the same when I get my own place and can put the DE in a sheltered area. My Mammoth no longer licks dirt since I've been feeding the DE. Guess he was lacking in some minerals.

Yep, I'm a DE believer!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), December 23, 2000.

I guess that's what Rotenone is huh? Also where would you find it? Thanks in advance.

-- Darren in Idaho (darrencindy2000@yahoo.com), December 23, 2000.

== I guess that's what Rotenone is huh? ==

No, Darren, not at all! Rotenone is from a plant. Although rotenone has some TOXICITY TO ALL OXYGEN BREATHING ANIMALS, it is selective to fish at the concentrations used by fishery biologists.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrFish/DiamondLake/Rotenone.html

== where would you find it? ==

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth can be found in feed stores and nurseries.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), December 24, 2000.

I MADE A BOO-BOO! I should not have posted the DE info here. Further up on the Board is another Diatomaceous Earth thread. I have posted this info there, plus two other messages. The 3 parts should give you some further knowledge of DE.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), December 24, 2000.

As soon as the holiday season is over I will be off in search of this stuff - I wonder what they call it in italian!??

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), December 24, 2000.

== I wonder what they call it in italian!?? ==

Heehee! Kelly, you're funny. I bet it's still called Diatomaceous Earth! Well, maybe 'earth' would be different.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), December 24, 2000.

I used the AltaVista Babel Fish translator, thinking I'd get nothing, but it came up with "di diatomee terra" -- hope that helps!

If you want to visit Babel Fish, go to: http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 24, 2000.