D.E & spider Mites

[fredx]

Has any one here tried D.E.- the stuff you put in your pool filter on them??

Keep hearing about food grade D.E.- but its much harder to find-- comes in smaller qtys where I live.
Might have to order online I guess.

What is it used for in food processing and anyone know what the difference might be between the two ??

Read a few things online about it but nothing beats first hand exp. in my book

Thanks

fredx

[Sun City Linda]

I think you need the food grade because it has very tiny sharp points which cut and kill insects. Pool grade will not work at all. I did a search a while ago and found a good deal on food grade at Home Depot. Meant to order but never did.

[Redbaron]

Safer brand has a line of DE products at both Home Depot and Lowes, and Harris has some too which I have found in the past at ACE hardware.

If you don't have a Lowes, Home Depot or Ace hardware near you, then you guys are not in USA!

BTW this stuff is awesome! You used to be able to buy it at Ace. Back when I used to work on boats as an engineer, and often stayed in hotels and crew houses all over the world, you never knew what you might find creeping and crawling around. I carried this everywhere I went! I never tried it on spider mites. But it would probably work.

Diatect

I still say predatory mites are better though.

[RayR]

Never use pool filter grade DE for anything but filtration. It is calcined at high temperatures which creates a high crystalline silica content, a dangerous health risk when breathed in.

[SIP Gro-Tubs]

Originally Posted by RayR

Never use pool filter grade DE for anything but filtration. It is calcined at high temperatures which creates a high crystalline silica content, a dangerous health risk when breathed in.

Food grade DE is the one that is the health hazard since the crystals have sharp edges, sharp points. Thats what makes it so effective with cutting the eckoskelton's of the bugs body so they dehydrate. Breathing in Food Grade DE, will have the same effect on your lungs interior surfaces as a bugs eckoskelton.

Yes, the pool grade has been cooked at high temps, but the health hazard is next to nil since the firing removes all those sharp edges and pointed ends.


The people in Saudi Arabia, and other desert countries that have swimming pools and use sand filters, have to buy their sand from a company in England.

The reason why is England is the best source for the type of sand used in pool filters.

Regular sand has a basic shape of a box, 6 sided. Pool filter sand is actually "Quicksand" or round in shape so that water can flow around it, but at the same time leave's any impurities in the sand bed.

Thats why, If you were to use regular sand, 6 sided, the water would pick up the particles of sand and your pool would have a sand bed in the bottom.

Thats why Pool DE, is non effective for use in insect control, & that is why the Saudi's have to buy thier pool filter sand from England.

[Master_Gardener]

Originally Posted by fredx

Has any one here tried D.E.- the stuff you put in your pool filter on them??

Keep hearing about food grade D.E.- but its much harder to find-- comes in smaller qtys where I live.
Might have to order online I guess.

What is it used for in food processing and anyone know what the difference might be between the two ??

Read a few things online about it but nothing beats first hand exp. in my book

Thanks

fredx

I know there is a difference between the two with the pool product having higher Si.

[RayR]

Food Grade DE is commonly used in agriculture as an anti-caking agent for livestock feed, and as a insecticide for grain storage. It is simply mined freshwater Diatomite that has no harmful contaminants, ground up into a fine dust.