Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is excellent as a residual Red Mite control. You can puff it into all the nooks and crannies in your chicken coop. DE is best to leave in situ rather than cleaning it off. Your coop will look like Miss Havershams house however the dusty surface is something which is going to form a killing barrier between the Mite and your hens.

Diatom works by scratching the outer covering of all creatures with an outer skeleton. This dries them out and they die of dehydration. It can also be used around the house to kill ants, silverfish, woodlice, and bedbugs. A crop duster applicator such as a Bobby duster is the very best way to get a fine cloud of dust to settle everywhere it’s needed. It is also the most economical way of using it so your Diatom will go much further. Diatom is totally safe around earthworms.

How to use

Add handfuls of diatomaceous earth to your chickens dust-bathing area. This helps them to self medicate and so helps them get rid of chicken body lice and other passengers.

Diatom can also be added to the food as it is rich in silica. It is commonly added to human food and helps to get rid of grain weevils and other pests in grain silos.

If diatomaceous earth gets wet it will continue to work once it has dried out again.

Warnings about using Diatomaceous earth

When using Diatom you should always use a mask, preferably an FFP3 N99 rated one. Breathing in Diatom is definitely not advisable.

An EU directive prevents the use of DE being labelled as capable of killing mites if it does not do so. Cheap DE is unlikely to kill so ensure that the product clearly states its red mite killing properties.

We sell this by the kilo rather than by the tub.