Diatomaceous Earth For Flea Control

[Glen]

Thanks VizslaMomma.

[Lynn168]

Chase never had fleas, even without any preventatives, and then maybe 2 years ago he started getting them (neighbour's dogs maybe...). Reading around a bit I found out about diatomaceous earth and bought a 3kg bag from here: http://www.fossilpower.com.au. Shipping was $12 so all up $30. I never ended up using it because I managed to get rid of the fleas with just Advantage.

Now I have to treat Chase with Advantage every month, but I still find the occasional flea on him, and I'm pretty sure he just picks them up in the backyard. Just now I let him outside for a bit and when he came back inside I found a flea wandering around on his fur - not on the skin, which makes me think it just jumped on him.. does that sound right?

I just treated the grass with the the DE.. sprinkled some and then worked it into the grass a bit with a broom. After, I noticed that I bought "Feed" or Pet & Garden grade, not food grade.. Hopefully that doesn't make too much of a difference outside? How often do you treat outside areas?

Also, can anyone shed some light on how it works when added to food? It seems to make sense to use it externally only, feeding sharp little particles seems so counterintuitive to me.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Lynn168

[Clyde]

I use food grade in the chook coops, haven't had a problem. Much cheaper than Pestene etc