Diatomaceous Earth

[AllenF]

I was just wondering how many bee keepers use Diatomaceous Earth in their hives and also I was wondering if the DE powder get wet, does it clump or become non effective?

[Scadsobees]

Never IN the hive!!!!

Some use it on the tray below the screen bottom board.  I've not really had the need for it. 

[AllenF]

That's what I meant, under the screen or in a trap?

[JP]

I would not use it anywhere near a hive. It gets airborne easily and will kill bees.

I use regular under my chicken coop, kills everything but earthworms. I use the food grade in my coop and in the chicken food as a natural wormer.


...JP

[Paynesgrey]

Agreed with JP. Don't get it anywhere near the bees, it's really effective.

[Finski]

What about diatom powder and honey ...surely out of law

[bluegrass]

My opinion is that it is a complete waste of money. It is also a carcinogen so I don't use it at all anywhere.

I am no expert, but it is a mechanical pesticide. It works because it has sharp microscopic edges that cut into the bugs and then they dehydrate and die. Okay fine, then why does it have no effect on earthworms 

I have read multiple studies by various Universities which shown it to be completely useless in pest control.   

[JP]

My opinion is that it is a complete waste of money. It is also a carcinogen so I don't use it at all anywhere.

I am no expert, but it is a mechanical pesticide. It works because it has sharp microscopic edges that cut into the bugs and then they dehydrate and die. Okay fine, then why does it have no effect on earthworms 

I have read multiple studies by various Universities which shown it to be completely useless in pest control.   

I just started using it when I got chickens, alot of chickenkeepers use the stuff and swear by it.

Perhaps it doesn't affect earthworms because they can regenerate, don't know for sure.


...JP

[bluegrass]

I keep chickens too. I used to use it on the advice of other chicken keepers, but after researching it some I quit. It isn't safe to use it in side a confined area with chickens because they scratch around and keep it airborne. If you use it in your hen house and then go in to feed, water and collect eggs you are breathing it in and increasing your risk of lung cancer.

Red cedar bedding actually works much better at keeping mites off of chickens. True cedar is toxic and should not be used as chicken bedding, but eastern red cedar like what they use in dog beds is actually a Juniper and is not toxic to chickens like true cedars are.

[VolunteerK9]

I use the red cedar in all of my hens nesting boxes and have precious few problems with mites on my birds.  Their floor is covered with shredded paper that I get here at work; it composts wonderfully.

[Finski]

.
There at least about 20 different working varroa consept, but biatomous earth belongs to them.

This is fist time when I see that someone try to use that stuff against honeybee varroa.

[DavidBee]

I once had a terrible flea problem in a carpeted area of my basement. Nothing worked - sprays, foggers, etc. Then I worked diatomacious earth into the carpet and the fleas disappeared and never came back. (1) It is effective, (2) it is a mechanical method of pest control, and (3) I fail to understand how ground up seashells cold possible be carcinogenic. Now about using it in the hives, that's another question. I tried it around the legs of the hive stand for ants, but it didn't work as well as I had hoped. I have no need for it in the tray under the screened bottom because the only reason I can think of to have a tray at all is varroa monitoring, and the sticky board keeps them from moving.

[bluegrass]

I fail to understand how ground up seashells cold possible be carcinogenic.

DE is mainly Silica. If you care to pick up a bag and read the handling instructions the mask and glove recommendation is not there as a fashion statement.

SAFE HANDLING OF DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
Crystalline Silica and Human Health

Crystalline silica-containing dusts can be irritating to the eyes and nasal passages. Inhaling crystalline silica-containing dust can also aggravate upper respiratory conditions such as asthma or emphysema. Long-term, unprotected exposure to large enough quantities of mineral dust which contains crystalline silica can cause a fibro tic lung disease. The International Agency for research on Cancer (IARC) recently reclassified silica as a known human carcinogen.

Current legal standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), based on the crystalline silica content of airborne dust, have been established for the protection of employee health. The maximum permissible exposure limit over a time weighted 8-hour average working day is currently 0.05 mg/m3 for cristobalite and 0.10 mg/m3 for quartz. Where dust levels exceed these limits, personal respiratory protection is highly recommended.

[Cheryl]

DE is "mechanical" and it can cause health problems on a mechanical level. The irritant causes scarring and polyps which predispose a body to other growths including tumors and lastly, malignant cancers. Google 'Silicosis'. It takes breathing a LOT of dust to be that harmful. Read the statistics; it's mostly people (like miners) with heavy exposure who suffer the most.