? Directions for use of DE - Page 1

I have had this stuff in my cupboard for a year....   WM-CLEAR Maintenance Premix     is on the label.

I have no instructions as to how to use it,  all it says is dogs 1/4 ounce

well is that 1/4 daily,  weekly, once a month,  once a month for 3 days, 5 days,  ???

Anyone have the directions on this stuff ???  

Thanks

That would be daily in their food. I'd say about a table spoons worth. I dont measure what I sprinkle on the dog or around the kennels. Keep the food grade kind for feeding, they sell a cheaper version non eddible you can sprinkle on the grounds and animals themselves.

"That would be daily in their food" --correct, unless you live where it gets to freezing during the winter. Diatomacious Earth (DE) only needs to be used during spring/summer/fall or whenever you have tick, flea, fly problems. Contrary to common belief, it does NOT kill worms. It only destroys animals with an exoskeleton.

A great bait for flies and cockroaches (fortunately we do not have them here, but I know in the city it can be bad) is 1 cup of DE mixed with 1/4 cup boric acid and enough canned sweet condensed milk to make a playdough-like mixture (you can vary the amounts of the mixture until it is this consistency), then roll into balls (be sure to wear rubber/latex gloves!) and put inside cabinets or anywhere dogs or other animals cannot get to them. The bugs eat it and die.  ;)

Works great on ants too. 

Good luck!

-Melanie

Here is a link to the site for DE, the site states that is also used as an organic wormer, if you check out the Fleas UGH!!!  post there is alot of info on there. 

http://www.earthworks.citymax.com/page/page/4101795.htm

Take care,

Liz

Thanks you guys very appreciated !!

Yes I understood it to be a more "Natural" de-wormer as well....

"Wormer" it is not. I know there are claims that it is, however, it works on bugs with an exoskeleton only, specifically by the bits of crustaceans that are ground up (diatomes, that are actually fossilized algae and crustaceans) tearing apart the exoskeleton and causing dehydration, and subsequently, death. It has long been known to NOT damage beneficial worms (i.e. EARTHWORMS for gardens, which is why they use it for gardening!) that are in a wet environment. It is fed to the dogs because it comes out in their feces, and flies cut themselves to bits and dehydrate, thus causing death, NOT to kill internal parasites. I've done a lot of research, have tried my own experiments, and have found out a lot because there is a lot of misinformation out there. So long as the worms are in a wet environment, they do not die.

http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/eap4.htm

Try buying some earthworms at a fish bait shop and putting DE in their soil. It will NOT hurt them. You can then either go fishing, or place them in your soil to do some natural rototilling. 

Snakes don't really appreciate it, and there have been arguments that it can repel snakes, but I am not convinced yet. I do know that it can tear them up pretty good, but they shed their skin, so I do not think they realize what they have slithered over.

ALSO important to note that DE must be reapplied if used in wet areas, because it loses its efficacy in wet environments!!!  I failed to mention that earlier.  :)

Good luck, and if anyone has questions, or wants more info, please feel free to contact me via email. vomfelsenhof@aol.com

-Melanie