How effective is diatomaceous earth at controlling household pests?
The basic principal involved is this: Diatamaceous earth is the remains of diatoms. One celled living creatures, when they die they leave behind a shell. These shell remains are DE. Fleas do not coagulate their blood. What i am saying is that when fleas are cut, the bleed, and they bleed, and they do no stop because there is no ability to stop the flow. In humans and other animals, our blood has agents which act to slow the flow. Our blood coagulates. I sprinkled it around and then sweap and vacume. The small amounts in cracks, etc, are enough to work. I would assume other minute pests would be adversely affected as well, although i doubt it would help much for larger insects. Also please consider if your enviornment is moist as this may limit the long term effectiveness. Focus on sealing all the little openings you can. Create comfortable/aesthetic landscaping that is not welcoming to the pests. Stop any water sources from the house that draw wildlife.
