It's my opinion that its efficacy over rated. Others however think it is the best thing to use for just about everything! Earthworms arent bugs?? but I have read it's their slime which prevents their injury. It is calcium(skeletons of dead sea life((Diatoms))) so that is beneficial for the soil and the plants. poultry forums periodicly discus this ad naseum.

I am not a long term user but I have not seen any evidence that it does not work. I do not use medicated feed for my goats I use DE mixed in. I guess I will let you know my response in a few years.

I think it is not supposed to kill worms.

I am a fan, I guess I got caught up in the hype when it eradicated the ants I had problems getting rid of.

Its actually glass not calcium, and it works by a dual action so far as I can tell, both by cutting the joints of arthropods and by wicking the waxy cuticle off of the exoskeleton. As the diatom valves are pulverized they will become little more than glass dust, which will not be effective. You must refresh it periodically.

I have only just started using it, just a little in the dust bath, for my chickens. I mainly bought it to put on broccoli and cabbage to get rid of cabbage worms. I'll let you know after this summer if it works.

I am providing a link that explains the dynamics of DE. I think I read somewhere that it turns more to glass when it is heated and that is why you do not use pool grade but I can not find it again. The link is probably more than you want to know on food grade DE but it is very helpful information in understanding what it is and why it works.

The document is so long because it also covers Bentonite Clay. PDF Pages 1-18 deals with DE only.

Here is a link that might be useful: info on DE

You are correct brendon and I should have known that is silica. i used it in diatom aquarium filters for years. I dug out my papers on it after I posted but before you corrected me. my bad.

Thanks for the info. The link didn't load for me, it acted like it was live though so I'll try again later.

My biggest concern is the effects on the intestines. I'm anxious to read that link, see if it offers any information on that.

Brendasue

I think it is a pdf document

Its was a minor mistake, nothing to worry your self over.

Lots of people with chickens are using the food grade of DE in their coops. I use the deep litter method and sprinkle the DE in the wood shavings to help keep the litter dry, it knocks the flies right out and keeps the smell gone. Also, it will control lice and mites on your chickies.

People are known to eat the food grade DE for health benefits.

While DE *may* be of some benefit in damaging external parasites(lice, mites, etc.) there is NO documented evidence that it has any effect on internal parasites - even in studies where it was fed at 5% of the total ration(which caused some respiratory problems in the goats it was fed to, due to the 'dustiness' factor).

Any glowing reports you may see or read with regard to its 'miraculous' effectiveness as a dewormer are anecdotal bullflop, pure and simple, with no scientific evidence to substantiate those claims.
I'm sure there'll be somebody along sooner or later who'll offer tales of how their goats' condition improved after feeding DE - they gained weight, coats were shinier, they could run faster and jump higher, etc. - but I can assure you that it wasn't just because they fed some DE. There have been myriad trials conducted through the years, with good scientific design to compare efficacy of DE against untreated control groups, and no significant positive effect could be demonstrated.

One concern - and it's a very real one - with concern to feeding DE to male ruminants(goat/sheep/cattle) is that the phosphorus content may skew their Ca:P balance(it contains other minerals in addition to SiO2) and cause formation of bladder stones which can occlude the urethra. I've seen it happen, and it's a well-documented occurrence in the veterinary literature.