So here is something I believe you will come to love. We have. We've used it for years. Bought a 50-pound bag in 1999 and still have most of it, because it takes so little.
If you like the sound of the following, consider using Diatomaceous Earth as your sole pesticide:
*Kills fleas, potato bugs, flea beetles, face flies on cows, ticks, earwigs, ants…
*Non-toxic
*Non-polluting, works “with” Nature
*Inexpensive
*No containers to discard.
First, you need to buy yourself a garden duster. Don't buy Gilmore. (poor quality stuff) Get either Hudson or Earthway's duster. Next...
Go to:
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
Buy a bag of DE and follow instructions. Use a mask over your nose and mouth and don't breathe it in as the dust is "sharp" and not good for lungs.
We use DE for EVERYTHING! Fleas, ticks, etc.on pets; for flies, for dusting veggies (potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage plants, etc.) Around the porch to kill ants, earwigs, silverfish, beetles of all kinds (which come out of the wood we use for fires, among other places)
It it non-toxic. Totally. It does the job of eliminating the pests you don't want, where you don't want them! Cleanly, easily. Safely. We even used it (food grade) in wheat and corn to keep weevils out. Insects cannot live in proximity to DE. As they ingest it as a result of simply walking through the powder, the dust interacts with their skeletal structure and they die.
Perhaps the one disadvantage is that DE is not discriminatory: it will kill the good with the bad (bugs). So, you'll have to decide which is the more favorable path...retaining the helpful bugs or eliminating the not-so-pleasant ones.
Dirt Works has other products as well....check it out if you want to explore a non-toxic alternative to bugs in your garden or on your animals (dust cows faces, heels, manure at the barn...whatever)
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And if you don't have a duster, fill a sock with the stuff and just shake it. My dad told me that's how his dad used to dust for bugs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elora. This is so timely for us. I had just found out about diatomaceous earth and had been looking for an inexpensive source. We're having a terrible time with bugs in the garden and, for some reason, our tick population has exploded. I can't go outside without getting a tick. I appreciate this.
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