Bernt, where did you buy the corn meal? I ask because DE is a normal additive in grains intended for human consumption, but in such small quantities that it's not listed on the label. I can see that cornmeal sold in a feed store would have a larger amount, and therefore labeled. I don't really like the idea of broadcasting DE all over the lawn. Lots of harmless or beneficial arthropods in the soil. I remember seeing large (maybe 25#) of cornmeal at Sams and Costco, but didn't check the label for DE content.

I use coffee grounds & tea grounds to stop slugs & snail. The DE will hurt good & bad bugs until it is wet. y hosta bed? The following are all safe around kids and pets, etc. Product Name on Label: Escar-go! slug and snail bait The EPA Registered Name for this product is: Neu 1165m slug and snail bait Distributor Names...... Complete list of names under which this product is sold. Often a company will register a single product and then sell the same product under many different brand names. The 'Distributor Name' list is a complete list of these names. Bayer advanced dual snail & slug killer bait ready-to-use W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Bonide slug magic makes slugs disappear W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Escar-go! slug and snail bait W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product First choice sluggo snail and slug bait W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Garden safe slug & snail bait W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Neu 1165m slug and snail bait W. neudorff gmbh kg Parent Product Sluggo W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Sluggo - ag W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Whitney farms unhappy trails W. neudorff gmbh kg Distributor Product Worry free (r) brand by lilly miller ferramol (tm) slug & snail bait W. neudorff gmbh kg Another effective method is to mix a solution of 1 part household ammonia or vinegar to 9 parts water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and go slug hunting in the moonlight. A quick spray will quickly kill the slimy creatures. Be persistent in hoeing weeds and breaking up the clods of soil that slugs like to hide under. If you expose their eggs, smash them. Keep the mulch pulled back from the base of your plants. Apply the mulch after the soil temperatures have warmed to above 75 degrees F. Keep all old leaves and decaying matter cleaned out of your garden beds on a regular basis. Keep the matter in a compost area, which is far away from the garden. Used coffee grounds and sharp builder's sand spread around susceptible plants may also work. Pine needle or wood chip mulch often works well around hostas. (Adapted from Liz & BigGuy5 on the Hosta Forum) Entered by caliloo FAQ Page

I purchased a 50 lb bag for 25$ and find it works for: reducing the baldness that comes from outside on my dog and cat. Works wonders. I am also putting it in their food for Tx for worms. I am currently using it on my horses for the same. However, it ruined my veggie garden by warding off my pollinators. How sad! I got one zuke and 3 yellow squash only. We have those japanese beetles that have so many offspring I had to try something. I had not even gotten 1 zuke in past years. The diatomaceous earth is food grade and edible. Supposidly it is pure silica, and it is good for hair, nails, and worming! It doesn't kill the ants, but makes them move. I have been herding them out of the front yard and have way less that in previous years. I bought a duster to use on the lawn, nothing is going to help with this seasons numbers of fleas. Oh yes, got 1 apple per tree, only 4 peaches on two trees? Of course I applied to the trees! It does kill the black power on my gardenia. I guess it is trial and error?

There's an awful lot of misinformation and conflicting info out there on DE, which I'd like to try and help clear up, because I hate to think of folk eating DE with pesticide (yes, some DE has a pesticide bait, such as the bag in the image halfway up the page). First, there are not two, but three different categories or grades of DE: (1) Codex or "fossil shell flour," which is the true food grade and is added to animal feeds as an anti-caking agent to to assist if flowability. If you're going to take DE orally -- and I offer no advice on the wisdom of this -- you want to make sure you see the word "Codex" on the label, which tells you it has been tested and meets certain criteria, including thresholds of safety on contaminants such as arsenic and lead. (2) pool grade, which is high in crystalline silica (the bad stuff), and, as such, works great in pool filters. But it should never, ever be used as a pesticide or in any food applications. (3) This is the tricky category: DE pesticides, which are variously labeled as "natural" pestides for gardens, pets, grain storage and for various types of insects. This is the type of DE you will likely find in the garden section of your local store, and which will be variously described on the bag labels as "insect killers" or "pesticides," and which will not contain the word "Codex" on the label. These types of DE may (or may not) be coated with pesticides. Perma-Guard, one of the better known brands of both Codex and pesticide DEs, explains it this way on their website: "The addition of Pyrethrins and Piperonyl butoxide is to irritate the bug, causing the bug to become active, allowing the DE to work more quickly." These two pesticide compounds are commonly used in lice shampoos and in sprays & fogs for bedbugs, mosquitoes, garden pests, etc. The only way to know if the DE at your local garden center is "coated" or "baited" is to read the label. And carefully. But even if they aren't coated, they are not Codex and are therefore not considered safe for human consumption. I hate to think of folk acting on bad advice and then munching down on DE that is either bait-coated or contains higher levels of, say, arsenic and lead. A lot of people assume that, if it's not pool grade, then it must be the Codex food grade. But there is that 3rd category, from which a good bit of confusion and misinformation seems to generate. As with any thing you use -- whether it's for bugs or people -- it's really important to read the label and to understand what you are reading.