When I mentioned that I had snails and/or slugs in my garden this summer, my mom immediately started talking about diatomaceous earth (DE). She is one of the few people I've ever heard mention such a thing, and I had no idea what she was talking about.
The subject came up again when I discovered that my cats, being the exquisite pains in the behind that they are, somehow managed to contract fleas in the dead of winter. I went straight to the Internet to search for chemical-free ways of dealing with the little blood-sucking pests (the fleas, not my cats). Recommended over and over again was diatomaceous earth.
So what in the heck is diatomaceous earth, and how is it helpful in dealing with fleas and snails and such? According to Wikipedia, DE is a powder made up of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. The powder comes from a naturally occurring, soft, chalk-like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled. DE absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. (Lipids are a diverse group of compounds that have many key biological functions, such as structural components of cell membranes, energy storage sources, and intermediates in signaling pathways.)
There are at least two kinds of diatomaceous earth available for purchase by your average citizen: the food-grade kind, and the industrial kind. Please pay attention to this part. The saltwater (industrial) form contains a highly crystalline form of silica, resulting in sharp edges. The sharpness of this version of the material makes it dangerous to breathe and a dust mask is recommended when working with it. The food-grade diatomaceous earth is what you want to use to treat pets inside your home. I've read that some people ingest it as well to kill off any intestinal parasites. I'll stick to treating my pets with it, thank you very much.
Off I went to the nearest hardware store, thinking that I would find DE there. However, the only DE I could find at the big box stores came with a whole host of accompanying chemicals that I did not want on my cats or in my house. Next, I half-heartedly checked my organic grocery store, not really expecting DE to be there. It was, though, in the pet section: a food-grade DE sans pesticides.
The label offered no instructions on using it externally, so back to the Internet I went. The advice there was to simply rub the powder into the cats' fur, and sprinkle it on carpets and bedding where they spend a lot of time. (The powder is very drying to human skin, so you might want to wear gloves if you try it.) The cats didn't seem to mind too much, and the fine powder actually stayed on them pretty well.
I can't say for certain that the fleas are completely gone. I haven't been re-applying the DE as often as I probably should. But I'm satisfied that when Sienna crawls under the covers with me at night, she's not bringing any harmful chemicals with her. And I don't have to worry about rushing Alice to the bathroom to wash her hands every time she touches the cats.
Peace,
Jenny
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