Natures Wisdom NW020 Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 1-Pound

I know Diatomaceous Earth has many uses but I purchased it for use against fungus gnats in my potted plants. For any of you who have plants indoors, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Those nasty little/tiny flies that buzz around around your plants but sometimes become brave and fly around your house. You can't really swat at them because they are so tiny and usage of chemical pesticides never seems to work.For years I've used Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) to treat fungus gnats. I've purchased Gnatrol [ http://www.amazon.com/Valent-Gnatrol-WDG/dp/B003E7BGTU ] several times (some reason Amazon cannot find it through the "Insert Product Link" button. I've also purchased Mosquito Dunks 117-6 30-Ounce Mosquito Bits. Without going into too much detail, Bti is basically a bacteria that attacks the larva of mosquitoes/fungus gnats and kills them before they become adults. By mixing the product with water and drenching the plant, you essentially spread the bacteria throughout the soil and as the larva chomp on the organic matter (now contaminated with the bacteria), they eventually die.As I stated previously, I've been using Bti for years and it's always handy to have whenever you have to repot or plant new plants in pots because you never know when you're going to get a contaminated bag of potting mix with the larva already inside. That's exactly what happened to me several weeks ago when I repotted/planted about 10 new houseplants. As you can expect, my Bti solution decimated the fungus gnat population but there were a few stragglers around. The problem with the Bti drench is that it loses it's efficacy every 3-4 days and you have to re-drench. For plants that are very sensitive to overwatering, a couple of my plants started to wilt/die. Despite good drainage, some plants just can't stand that much water and I'm still to this day trying to revive them.Not willing to kill my plants by continually drenching, I ended up buying this product. I've known about Diatomaceous Earth for a while, but never bought it because Bti has worked so well. As you might have read, Diatomaceous Earth works by either cutting up insects (either their soft bodies or their joints) and "bleeds" them out or it works by absorbing moisture and "dries" them out.Upon receiving this product, I ended up sprinkling this all over the top of the soil on my affected plants. I didn't have a sprayer, so I did what one reviewer did and cut the tip of one corner of the bag. Then I gently tapped the bag as the contents "poofed" out. As a precautionary measure to make sure I would get the bastards, I sprinkled a fine layer of it all over the top of the soil (basically think a powdered sugar donut). The ideology behind this method is that when the larva mature to adults, they will attempt to come out of the dirt and to the top layer of soil (where they become a nuisance). If they have to burrow out of the dirt, hit that layer of Diatomaceous Earth and then walk around on it (like they normally do with untreated soil), then they will get cut up in the process.The end result? This stuff killed the remaining gnats. KEEP in mind that the killing method is not instantaneous. Since this pesticide is a PHYSICAL and not CHEMICAL pesticide, it takes time for it to work. I recall for a few days that the affected plants still had fungus gnats flying around them even after I used it. But around the 4th day, I noticed less and less of them until they were completely gone.I'm completely satisfied with this product and am glad to say that both the drench of Bti and Diatomaceous Earth is the ultimate fungus gnat killer combo.

Excellent to use on pets as a bug repellent.

I've bought this so many times and I use it for various purposes but mainly I use this on my pets for fleas and sprinkle it in their food for internal parasites. I put it on my floors and around the outside of my house to keep bugs away. Works great.

Well we have two cats, blaze and brownie. They got fleas from down the road and infested our house BIG TIME!! It started in the basement then moved up to level one, then to the bedrooms (level 2) and finally the attic. Well these critters overtaken everything and i swell up when bit and lemme tell you, my ankles have scars now, horrible. We tried everything, everything and this was our last shot before dropping a nuke (so to speak) in our house. Well im not sure if it worked or not since we let it sit for 4 days, came home and i got ravaged. Really urked me.. So we vaccumed and vaccumed some more and these things are now surviving on hard wood floors. I think our basement is cleared since i stood down there for 10 minutes and only got one bite, compared to my feet being covered in 2 seconds. Will update once we have a few weeks to conquer these little fear mongers.**** UPdate.. I do apologize for the horrible writing in my initial review. It has now been quite some time since we first dropped this miracle worker in our house. All fleas are gone. We have NONE... Accompanied with some salt (broom pushed it in the rug) and all rooms sprayed with tea tree oil, we survived and now have our own routine for getting rid of fleas.. If you ever need any information. Please dont hesitate.

I ordered DE originally to get rid of some fleas that had found their way onto my indoor cat. I am a big fan of all things natural, and I tend to try those options first before anything else. However, I had some flea killing treatment I had been using on my little fur baby with no avail. It just did not work, it seemed to be getting worse actually.So after some anxious waiting for my FREE shipping (which arrived TWO days EARLY - I love you Amazon!) I finally received my package. My bag of DE was in a heavy duty zip lock type bag. My only frustration came from trying to get the darn thing open, which I ended up using scissors for, no biggie. My first action was to powder my carpets and the cat tree. It is as messy as people say. I held my DE in a measuring cup, and used a sifter to try to get an even application on the carpet, which was not that easy. I do recommend getting the tool that they will try to pair your DE with. Just get it! If you are using it for a pesticide, it will make your life so much easier. Anyways I applied it to the carpets, and pushed it in with a broom. I have left it there without vacuuming, today being day two. There is no way at this point to tell if its working on the carpets.Now to get it onto the animal in your life. I have a finicky cat, so it was a bit tough to get it onto him. I first tried to sprinkle it on top of his fur, which was not easy. Then I had the idea to use a make up brush that I had laying around, like a powder or blush brush. I dipped it in my DE and powdered my boy away. He sat still for me, and actually seemed to enjoy it! I also caught him rolling around on the carpet. As for the fleas on him, I found one today that I was able to nab. I check him at every opportunity. Whenever he is sleeping or eating or being still, and I have seen a HUGE reduction in eggs/larvae/fleas in ONLY two days. I have only seen him scratch once or twice as well. So far, this stuff is magical. But it doesn't stop there....Through my research, I have found that you can also take DE as a supplement to your diet (your pets too!) Some people will look at you sideways if you told them you were putting a scoop of this flour like material in your morning drink. Well - I just don't tell anyone ;) Like I said, I am a fan of all things holistic and natural. I waited until the morning after to try my DE in a drink, because I have read that it give you an energy boost. Well - its true! The things I have noticed so far about taking DE as a supplement - I do feel an energy boost. I am definitely more .... regular....(TMI) but my favorite thing so far is the feeling of hydration that I have. It is not something I can really explain. I just feel overall more hydrated. I have started with a heaping spoonful - not big on exact measurements at my house. I usually start my mornings with some fresh squeezed lime juice mixed with water. I just added my DE to that and call it good. I will report back with any more updates! So far, I highly recommend DE for your pet, home, garden, and yourself. Do your research people!****UPDATE 12/14/13****I colored my hair (with henna, Rainbow Henna in burgundy to be specific) A few days before I received and started to take my Diatomaceous Earth internally. My hair grows notoriously slow. I read some pretty nice reviews about DE making hair grow faster. I figured this would be a great way to measure how much DE impacts the rate of speed at which my hair grows. Well let me just say, I am in MAJOR need of a touch up! My hair has grown more than half of an inch since I started to take this supplement. Taking DE is worth it, just for this benefit alone! I have been trying to grow my hair out for years, since chopping it all off in a crazy spur of the moment decision three years ago. I am very VERY pleased.As for the fleas, the DE helped considerably. The only problem was getting my cat to stay still long enough to powder him. I did give up at a certain point, and decided to use it for myself only. I do recommend using it on your carpets however, and if you have a calm cat (or dog) definitely powder them. It will help. MY little guy, was not having it. So more benefits for me :) Hope this helped someone in their decision!