Understanding Diatomaceous Earth

Do away with bugs the natural way.

- Paul Donovan

In this day and age of environmental awareness, many of us are looking for more environmentally friendly approaches to pest control, rather than resorting to the use of broad spectrum insecticides, which are as toxic to beneficial insects as they are pest species. One of the alternatives is diatomaceous earth.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) was first sold as a natural pesticide back in 1960. Its advantage over other forms of pest control is that it is an entirely natural, easy-to-use product. It has no impact on the environment and is harmless to most higher life forms. Furthermore, as DE is a natural substance, insects cannot build up resistance to it.

Definition

Despite its name, DE is not a soil but a naturally occurring rock comprising of the fossilised remains of single-celled, algae-like plants called diatoms. Diatoms still exist today and are one of the most common forms of phytoplankton found in water, but those from which DE is manufactured existed millions of years ago. As the great lakes dried up, the skeletons of these diatoms (which consist of 33% silicon, 19% calcium, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium, 2% iron, plus other trace elements) left behind deposits called diatomite. When we mine this the product is a chalk-like product.

How does it work?