sweasel.com

Diatoms have such varied shapes, and occur in such stable populations, that in cases of murder by drowning where the scene of the crime isn’t immediately clear, the diatoms in the victim’s lungs are compared to the diatom population of possible drowning places.

Just don’t breathe in any clouds of ’em, Stoaty. DE is commonly used in water filtration/treatment, and folks I know have had some mighty uncomfortable health/breathing issues when being careless, albeit short-term issues.

I love it when thrifty, smart people spread good advice. This topic has come up three, four times in the past two weeks. I’m lucky enough not too have pests, but I just got the estimate for both pets’ annual tuneups–£175. I bet a bag of the Diatomacious slicer dirt is a lot cheaper. Wonder if the cat would like it if I chased him around throwing handfuls of cootie-dust at him? The dog would love it.

I have no idea why, but that reminds me of a covert British program during WW2, which supplied Tarantula hair to resistance fighters who had infiltrated German Condom factories. They would sprinkle the hairs into the condom lube and ship them out to German troops in the field.

For those who don’t know, the hooks on Tarantula hair made it useful as the first Itching Powder…

God, stay the F away – just like Asbestos!!
I did some studies years ago on diatoms breaking down Pyrex culture dishes.
We tried to isolate the enzyme, as it would be good for silicosis and asbestos – but ran out of money.

Curiously, diatoms have a preference for certain isotopes of silicon … most curious ..

Also one of the original components of Dynamite! (howdy, you fruity NSA cakes of useless whores).

‘Mericans used wood meal instead of kieselguhr, cheapening the process some. But really, it’s just nitroglycerine in a matrix to keep it from ‘splodin’ early.

I’m still using the one pound can of Permethrin chicken dust I bought about 5 years ago. I put it on all the animal’s bedding once a month. No fleas, no ticks, no nuthin.

The vet is amazed.

There’s still time to do the darkness/starvation treatment. You only need to isolate her for three days. Works wonders.

Death by horrific agony is better than fleas deserve.

Gah, yeah, I’ve been bit by a flea or two in my time. A thousand years of torment is not enough for fleas.

Possibly the tiny little grindstones get into the joints of the exoskeleton, wearing it away and opening up leaks in the bug’s open circulatory system.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345332/Paranoid-Michael-Hastings-told-WikiLeaks-lawyer-investigated-FBI-hours-deadly-car-crash.html

It has started

Back in the Victorian era (before TV) folks would painstakingly construct microscopic art work using diatoms and butterfly scales.

They are real collectible, these days.

My phycology professor brought some in for our viewing pleasure, back in the day. It was real impressive.

You can see some, here:

http://www.victorianmicroscopeslides.com/slideexb.htm

Back in the early epochs in which I was a child, local feed stores sold sulfur candles. These were inch and a half cubes of pure sulfur with a waxed wick.

The drill was to run all the chickens out, take one or two of these, put them on a non-flammable pan or surface, light the wicks, and then close the door for the day. The sulfur dioxide from the burning sulfur fumigated the building, eliminating fleas, ticks, lice, the occasional slow mouse, spiders, etc.

You can still buy sulfur here in the states in garden supply stores, although it’s powdered, but it would work as well. A quarter pound ought to do it.

Oh, and the odor of burning sulfur? There’s a reason that burning sulfur (brimstone) is associated with Hell. Your neighbors will love you.

MC

I’ve heard of diatomaceous earth being sprinkled on lawns, to keep roaches from crossing it. Bob, you put it on your pets’ bedding once a month, but my cats nap all over the apartment. Could I sprinkle it on my carpet? Would it harm the cats if they got any on their paws, and licked it off?

By the way….trotting Mapp out onto the internet, and then calling her personal hygene into question, while simultaneiously hurling the “fleabag” epithet….

Well, it’s just unseemly. That’s all.

Wolfus Aurelius, You can buy food-grade diatomaceous earth. You could eat it directly. Although I don’t recommend doing that, it would probably be safe for cats.

Soapy water is useful, too. It smothers the holes in the fleas’ bodies (wasps and hornets, too). You can mix it up in a spray bottle to mist/target spray, or a bucket-full, to douse a wasp nest. Or set out little dishes. The animals will taste it—once—but the fleas never learn.

The animals will taste it—once—but the fleas never learn.

Pretty sure the fleas taste it just once, also. 🙂

Thanks Alice! Murky writing is my specialty 🙂

“It’s one thing to poison a flea, it’s another to feed your local bugs broken glass and razorblades.”

Yep. And both methods result in dead fleas. I fail to see the moral quandary. Am I evil? (shrug) Perhaps … but I will be a flea-free baddy!

Deborah – does that work on red-light cameras too?

S.Weasel – I spread diatom skeletons around the house, serves as a warning for others, and keeps the ants and other creepy-crawlies outdoors!

Mew

Democrats are reincarnated as fleas because they didn’t pester and kill enough people, while existing as subhuman blood-sucking parasites, in their former life.

Thing is, BookGeek, I sit out in the garden a lot. Reading mostly. Several times a day, one or other species of tiny goofy-looking insects with bobbly antennae lands on my book, staggers around for a minute, and bumbles off. I’ve never been a bug person, but I’ve got quite fond of the insect kingdom in my yard. Won’t stop me going after the fleas, I just hate killing the silly inoffensive bugs.

I’m going to end up a Jain, I swear to Dog.

A Jain?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec7eYnGcoW8

Wolfus:

Pyrethoids are nearly non-toxic to warm blooded critters. Your cats might have a sensitivity to the carrier powder (usually talc or diatomaceous earth,) but that’s mighty rare.

I’ve dusted my cats directly on occasion, it hasn’t hurt them yet.

When a friend returned from a mission in Zambia, she brought us two collages made of moth and butterfly wings. they are very nice, but kind of creepy.

Powdered boric acid crystals are also good for killing bugs.