How To Use Diatomaceous Earth As Insecticide

Advantages of diatomaceous earth.

How to use diatomaceous earth as insecticide. Products containing diatomaceous earth can be bought in most hardware stores. Add a little to a small bowl in your fridge and freezer for those smells. Birds take dust baths using soil and clay dust to fight off mites and other parasites. First bugs cannot build up a resistance to de. Furthermore china used diatomaceous earth as an insecticide 4 000 years ago.

Placing giant mounds of d e. Diatomaceous earth has several advantages over chemical pesticides. Is also used in grain storage to keep pests away. You want to spread a very thin layer of dust where you are having the issues and make it so that the insects can t go around or circumvent the dust. Mix the two at a ratio of four tablespoons of de per gallon of water and apply in a thick coat to tough spots like the tops and undersides of your plants.

You can also use a wet mixture of de as a cleaner around the house. Apply food grade diatomaceous earth in the cracks and crevices around your home as well as in other areas where the insects may be hiding. In your garden will not work because the pests will just go around it. In gardens dust diatomaceous earth on the tops and bottom of plant leaves with a shaker can or dusting applicator. Just add a little and the smell will dissipate.

If you need to apply diatomaceous earth to areas where dry de won t stick the wet application method is a great option. How to mix and apply. Diatomaceous earth is a good way to clean up the smells. Typically diatomaceous earth can kill an insect in a few hours but it s suggested that you leave the powder in place for as long as a week in order to make sure those pests are all done for. You can sprinkle it into your garbage cans.

Most commonly as a dust but can also be found in other mediums such as wettable powders and diatomaceous earth spray. Fights off beetles slugs ants aphids and earwigs. Insects can and do adapt and resist chemical pesticides often requiring higher doses or new chemicals to be effective. Leave the de down for a few days to a week and monitor the infestation in order to judge the de s effectiveness. If the pest is a crawling insect de will most likely kill it.