DE isn't harmful to the lungs unless you make a point of fluffing it into a cloud and then inhaling it. DE from fresh-water sources (Food grade) is less irritating to the lungs than DE from salt-water sources. You can use one of those common dust masks if you want. I've used DE on our version of the fire ant, the thatch ant. I tried everything I could think of: boiling water, vinegar, bleach, poisoned sugar water, poisoned meat. I got a pound of DE and sprinkled it over the mounds. It slowed them down, but didn't stop them. Then I found a fifty-pound bag of DE for $15 and got it. Since DE is quite light, it's a BIG bag. I took a 3-lb coffee can and coated the mounds with DE half an inch thick. If it didn't penetrate their carapace, by golly, I was gonna make 'em CHOKE on it! Well, I guess I had put it on thick enough (!) so all the ants were forced to wade through it and take it into the nest area to the queen. It got them, and they haven't come back. And I see no mounds anywhere else, either (in the past, I had annoyed them so they moved). The stuff is cheap, and non-toxic to earthworms, bees, pets and kids. It's safe to eat, and it even contains trace amounts of desirable minerals. It works by sucking the moisture from the insects' bodies, including fleas and cockroaches. If you looked at DE under a microscope, you would swear you were looking at sharp shards of glass. Some information says it takes one to three days to kill the insects. DE only works when it is dry. And because it acts physically, not chemically, the insects can't become resistant to it. To make sure you're getting the non-toxic kind, make sure it says something like CODEX FOOD GRADE. Call around to your local farm supply stores -- some of them should carry it, as farmers like to mix it with grain and feed it to their livestock, as it's also supposed to help keep flies down. NEVER get the kind that is mixed with an insecticide, or the kind that is used for swimming pool filters. Stick to the food grade kind. Sue

Do you mind the kids eating the apples? Or are you just concerned about them being infested with ants and the kids eating them? Other than using a trap-like product such as Tanglefoot or the petroleum jelly at the base of the tree, I'd just let them be. There is far less concern with the kids munching down a few ants (if they have the gross factor to do so) and unripe apples than there is with them consuming insect-free apples that have been treated with pesticides. Even so-call "safe" pesticides like pyrethrums are pretty toxic if ingested soon after application and especially to children, who have a low tolerance to pesticide contamination. You do realize that ants (and other insects) are a part of the diet of numerous cultures around the world and are a decent source of protein. At the most, eating a few bugs and unripe apples would give the kids a tummy ache, nothing more. Eating pesticide treated apples could result in lot worse.

Hi island, Sorry it took so long to get back to you. The product that I use for ants is GreenLight Many Purpose Dust. I use just a very small amount and it does the trick. I've been very happy with it, since I started using it four years ago. Incidentally I think GreenLight is by the same company that does Miracle Grow. Regarding the Miracle Grow, chemical fertilizers feed the plants with a sudden rush of growth. This makes the cell structure weak. So if you take the approach of feeding the soil and not the plant, the plant gets what it needs anytime it needs it. Ways to feed the soil are with alfalfa. I get mine at the feed store and just spread the pellets around. I try to make sure each area, including the lawns, get it twice a year. I also use soybean, which I get at the feed store. And all my grass clippings go back into the garden. And I can tell you people stop by all the time just to see the garden and how well the plants are doing. And it is so easy to do. Karin Here is a link that might be useful: Many Purpose Dust

Not sure if you had a previous thread where you mentioned these worms, but it would be good to see some pics. Without knowing for sure about your worms and ants, I'll assume you might be talking about earth worms and fire ants. However, your comment about how the roots are gone, may refer to other kinds of bugs and worms. Fire ants (big red ants) will eat earth worms and grubs if they get a chance to. This usually happens if the ant hill is nearby and some luckless worm moves near. Since you don't yet know what is eating your garden, you may want to hold off on the DE. That is usually suggested for slugs and snails, since like you said, people would want worms around. As for the growth of a plant, there are many unknown and unseen bugs and microbes that will interact with your plants. Unless you actually see damage or loss of the leaves or stalks or harvest, having these bugs nearby is not necessarily a cause for alarm. Generally, you will need to identify the kind of damage they are doing (which may come from how the plant is disappearing or how it looks after being infected) and what they are, then you can have an idea on how to treat them.