Is Diatomaceous Earth suitable for getting rid of bedbugs?

Question

read on some webpage that it is. but when i search the net buying for it, most said for outdoor use.

Answer 1

Yes Yinqing1,

But only the right kind of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is effective against bedbugs. There are different kinds (Decorative De, Filter Aid DE, Insecticide DE). There are even different kinds of Insecticide DE.

Check out the information at http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth/Bed-Bug.html and the FAQ section at http://www.bedbugger.com for more details.

I have used Diatomaceous Earth indoors to control crawling insects in low-traffic areas such as my basement and in kitchen cupboards. DE is slow-acting but has a residual effect, so it contimues to provide protection as new bugs come in, as long as it stays loose and dry. It has a tendency to blow away and get vacuumed up, so it needs replacing.

Good Hunting!

Answer 2

Diatomaceous Earth is an inert silica sand that should have no effect on bedbugs. Diatomaceous Earth for outdoor use is mainly used for ornamental use or finely ground makes a bright white chalk line on a ball field.
Go to a major brand hardware store and ask the sales rep for insecticides designed just for bed bugs.

Answer 3

Hi, It's made for outdoor use,for swimming pool filters. I use to work at a homecenter,and we looked it up in the big Ortho Bug Problem book. This doesn't sound to good, but it said to use,Malathion. I don't think you can get that anymore. A good substitute for the diatomaceous earth would be ,Baby Powder. Something Starchy. What it does is, gets in between the bugs scales. That kills them because they can't breath. Another thing you could use is food starch.Boric Acid is the same ,or I should say does the same.But I wouldn't want to put it in my bed. Try going to the Ortho web site.Good luck.Bye(I hope this helped even a little)

Answer 4

It will work with bedbugs the same as it works with insects outside--that is to say, slower than dirt--but it's super messy and will get all over everything in your house. It's fine if you or your pets ingest it--it won't hurt you--but it is a serious mess and really, it's very very slow to work in terms of eliminating an entire infestation.