Silverfish and Diatomaceous Earth

[beignet05]

Hello! Long time lurker and my first post is about bugs. Fantastic start. I've read all over the internet about using Diatomaceous Earth for getting rid of silverfish but I am unsure where to put it. Most sources say along the walls and in the corners. We mostly have them in the basement and we never see them anywhere but ON the walls (usually

Comments

[den_lace]

from another long time lurker but ocasional poster .. definitely don't use D.E. if you have pet cats and dogs!! which on thinking about this, is probably a rather obvious statement!

[beignet05]

I've read that as well. We do have a dog but under no circumstance is he allowed in the basement. We have had rodents in the past and keep bait traps out so he is NEVER allowed in the basement.

[jaimefrazier]

Actually if you use Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth if you have cats and dogs it is quite safe. I know many people that use it to control fleas in their homes, me included. But you have to make sure it is the FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth and not the type used in swimming pools. The food grade D.E. can also be sprinkled on the cat or dog and rubbed into their fur and it will not harm them. If they lick it off and injest it the D.E. also helps with controlling worms (not heart worms) and even people consume it. So not all D.E. is created equal, just check to make sure if you are going to use it on and around your pets that you use the Food Grade D.E.

[maynda]

I'll second this. Food grade or "fossil flour" DE is safe for pets. A friend who owns a farm feeds it to her livestock to control worms. Before I put it down in my house around my pet/child I tried a teaspoon of it in water. I'm here to tell the tale. The concern is in the inhalation of it. However, as long as it is placed in the corners/crevices and isn't allowed to float about freely in the air you're safe.

[beignet05]

This is great to know. I purchased the food grade kind so we're set if we get fleas this year :)

[maynda]

The problem with DE is that it's actually tiny pieces of broken shells. These little razor-sharp, hard-as-diamonds shards embed themselves in the soft tissue of your lungs, nasal passages, throat, etc. and dehydrate your flesh. It's not as if they just pass through like dust. Yikes. However, apparently the real issue is with long-term exposure. DE contains silica which, if it builds up over time in your lungs causes disease (can't remember which). I think when you put it that way there's a real need to take care with it! The first time I used it I didn't know and had respiratory problems for a week. It could have been a coincidence, hard to say. I do know it dried out my nose and throat.

[den_lace]

Oh, thank you so much for this info, I never knew there were two kinds of D.E, excellent news..:)

[maynda]

Oh, very much! There's Food Grade which is safe and then there's the ones they use in swimming pools which is very, very dangerous. Read up!