FairyDust
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Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:39 pm
Location: Browns Mills, New Jersey
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Diatomaceous Earth and Nematodes

How well do they work for pest control? We have a huge bug problem here and I hate bugs. I know some are beneficial and everything, but I have a phobia or something of them. Especially spiders. If a spider is in a room with me and I can't kill it, I wind up crying because I am so afraid of them.

And we have tons of spiders here. Before we bought this house last summer the people that lived here trashed the place. I guess they always had cars in the frontyard and stuff. The owner I guess was a slum lord pretty much and never did a thing to this place. So then somenoe bought it, totally redid the inside of the house and the exterior of the house, but didn't do a thing to the yard. So when we got here last August the yard was so full of all sorts of insects that you could just stand there and stare at the ground and see bugs running everywhere through the grass. :shock: I have never seen so many bugs in my life.

So before knowing a thing about organic gardening, I went out and got a big bottle of triazicide and sprayed the entire yard. Had to do it twice before the bug population around our house was more bearable. But of course the darn spiders were still everywhere. We have these one spiders that look like daddy long legs, but they aren't. I can't remember what they are called. But they are EVERYWHERE lol.

So this year since its warming up and all the creepy crawlies are coming out again I want to use something organic or better for the environment and for me and my animals.

How well does the Diatomaceous and the Nematodes work on keeping bugs away?

I've also put in several bird feeders, bird houses, squirrel feeders (I love watching them and it keeps them out of the bird feeders for the most part) and a bat house because mosquitos are also insane here and I'm allergic to them.

opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 4659
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

Never used it myself so, I can't give you any direct comments but, try giving this article a read:

https://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF9/999.html

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Grey
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Posts: 1596
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:42 pm
Location: Summerville, GA, Zone 7a

I have a neighbor with the same fear - especially of spiders.

I told her she was sooo much bigger than that spider, and besides, spiders eat bugs, so they are cutting down the other bug population. I have her not killing the daddy long legs at least.

For me - I just hate the ones that jump. I won't kill them... but I will shoo them away from where I am.

In Florida we had some kind of HUGE brown garden spider. I mean, the size of the palm of your hand. One was in the laundry room once, and it was carrying an egg sac. I tried to chase it out of the laundry room and I swear it HISSED at me! I was still a kid and that was a bit too much to bear for a little while, then I went back in there and killed it instead (mostly because I was mad at myself for being afraid of a spider).

Anyway - I don't know about the diomateous earth working on bugs or not, but it is a better alternative than diazinon. I have been told it works on fleas - so good luck!



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