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Discussion on DE or Dianthanous Earth for Fly Control
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Member:
Muffi
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 9, 2006 - 9:45 pm:
Dr O or anyone else - I have heard that DE is effective in controlling Flies And that it is safe to feed to horses thru their feed. I understand that the small particles that make up the DE (used in Pool Filters) are actually microscopic broken shell pieces that are sharp. what they do is cut and kill the Flies larva before they mature, thru the Manure. I have been sprinkling it on the ground where they eliminate most often. But have heard that it's better just to feed it to the horse. ??? The box said it is carcinogenic to Humans. So I am not sure. Can you give me some advice on this? like is it safe and what would the daily dose be?
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Member:
Vickiann
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 9, 2006 - 10:07 pm:
Over a period of time I used an equine mineral supplement that contained DE, and was slow to realize inhaling it (difficult not to as it rose out of the container when opened -- you would have to wear a mask not to inhale it) was causing me fairly serious breathing difficulties. It contains a great deal of silica, which is carcinogenic when inhaled. Yes, you can mix in liquids to the DE before feeding it to prevent inhalation by your horses, but I wouldn't think of handling the stuff again. the theory about it killing insects or parasites is based on the sharpness of the particles, but when combined with liquids in the digestive system it is not thought to have efficacy. This is stuff used to clean pool filters. Furthermore, it is often chemically contaminated, compounding the danger. Dumping it around the inside of your horse's stalls might kill some crawling insects (as would many compounds), but would you want to risk them inhaling it?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Apr 10, 2006 - 6:49 am:
Hello Muffi,
Run a search on this using the Search Discussions by Keywords, it is an often discussed subject. We hope to have a new article out on fly control today or tomorrow.
DrO
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