Diatomaceous earth a sedimentary rock consisting of the dead shells,
tests or exoskeletons of diatoms, the most abundant animals in the
ocean. This material works as an insecticide because it essentially
consists of extremely fine shards of silica glass that embed themselves
into the fleshy joint areas of insects' exoskeletons doing enough damage
to kill the insects. This material has been used for many years as a
killer for cockroaches, so I am not surprised that it works well in nest
boxes. Wish I had thought of it.

Here is a sample picture of a diatom -
http://oregonbd.org/Class/fig2-28.jpg

Scott R a y
Yakima, WA



-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Dianna Moore
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 10:18 PM
To: Tweeters
Subject: re: diatomaceous earth


Hi Tweets...I have not had occasion to use DE in nest boxes but I had a
problem with carpenter ants, used some DE and they no longer seem to be
a problem. Can it be this easy?

I have also heard it is effective against slugs. I put a line of it
along the base of a door under which these slimy things like to intrude,
and it seems to work!

Dianna Moore
Ocean Shores, Wa.
dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com