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Using DE sprinkled under bedding areas, lighted flea traps and the Flea Zapper comb, we were able to get rid of our cat's flea problem. She had a reaction (losing weight) to a topical flea product, and we will never do that to her again! She loves the Flea Zapper comb. It is such fun for us to electrocute the fleas! We are still using it, since it cuts down on her hairballs, too.

DE is also great for battling ants. 

Glad you had good luck w/the D.E. as I have.  I used to use DE only on my thresholds to keep out fleas and other insects but put the poison on the nape of my cats necks (slow learner?) Stopped that & just use D.E. after reading more about it.  Wish I could provide the info but can't remember where I read it, pyrethrins (the stuff from chrysanthemums) can be a bit tricky, (might be slightly toxic?), so since DE isn't and it works so well, hope you stick with just the FOOD GRADE D.E. (Plus, it's REALLY cheap!)

Thanks for this. I didn't know the garden and hardware stores that sell this weren't safe for our pets! One thing I don't understand is if DE works by killing exoskeleton insects on contact, how does it work when it's ingested?

It works well for worms too, just sprinkle on food for more than 30 days

Here's some pyrethrin info:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677+1684&aid=2252

I've used it for years in my organic garden, and you can purchase just plain DE at a garden center that is food grade and can be used on pets and all else; it's not the stuff used for pools. I've used it to kill off those big fat slugs that eat all my seedlings then start on my beans. The sharp edges of the crushed diatoms are one of the few things that can cut through the slime on a slug and into its skin, which causes it to immediately dehydrate, yet because there is no chemical there is no danger to any other living thing that may ingest it.

A few cautions about diatomaceous earth, related to what they do to slugs, above. The mucus in your nasal passages and lungs is not unlike the slug, and inhaling too much can have the same effect. You should cover your face and your pet's mouth and nose when you use it because it can be extremely irritating to nasal and lung tissues.

However, with the product you are using, it's likely the pyrethrins that are having the effect. Diatomaceous earth only cuts through the skin of soft-bodied insects, causing them to dehydrate, but if you've been combing fleas out of your animals and likely crushing them between your fingernails, you know their bodies are far from soft. DE has little to no effect on them; I tried DE alone on fleas years ago when I moved into a flea-infested house and it had no effect.

Pyrethrins do, but be careful even with this insecticide naturally derived from a chrysanthemum native to central Africa and Central America. Organic gardeners used it for years before realizing that, while it readily broke down outdoors in the garden, it could build up if used indoors where plants or animals didn't encounter rain, wind and weather. Very young, old or ill animals can be overdosed, and cats are especially susceptible because they bathe and are generally susceptible to environmental toxins.

One other thing we learned is that every insect will eventually build up a resistance which can be passed to the population. I haven't used it in my garden for years.

The piperonyl butoxide only acts to enhance the effects of the pyrethrins, blocking the body's reaction to the insecticide so it can build up in higher quantities, but it has no insecticidal properties on its own. The scientific jury is out on whether it lowers your and your animals' bodies' reaction to the insecticide, but no studies show that it's been harmful to anything but insects.

That doesn't mean pyrethrum is bad! In moderation there is very little danger. On its own pyrethrum is very weak but the PBO helps it pack a wallop as strong as the synthetic. Just make sure that what you are using contains "pyrethrum" or "pyrethrin(s)" and NOT "pyrethroid(s)" or "permethrin", which are synthetic versions of the natural derivative and are much more highly concentrated and nobody's body reacts to it as a natural substance--these should never be used on a cat.

KathCA, the article you reference is a great resource for someone who needs quick information that's easy to understand and remember.

And DE is a great source of natural calcium easily digested and absorbed by the body. Didn't touch my cholesterol, though, and I'm even a vegetarian.

Sorry for the long answer! Good luck!

More precautions for DE use:  In addition to keeping the DE dust out of your lungs and the lungs of your pets, please keep it out of their eyes!  DE has blinded one dog, a patient of a vet I know. 

When you apply DE to the house and your pets, there will be some DE dust raised, which can be very irritating to the eyes and lungs.  Some people wear a cheap dust mask and goggles when putting down DE in the house.  If I don't, I end up with bloodshot eyes and a cough for a few days. 

Personally, I don't apply it to my dogs or cats for this reason, and I keep them out of the room till the dust settles.

A few years ago, I read that PBO is somewhat toxic, but I don't have the link to that article.  You can probably find this information by googling.  I prefer not to use PBO.

Please don't use either form of DE in the yard!  It will kill beneficial insects as well as harmful ones, although it probably has much less effect on flying insects like bees than on crawling insects.  For flea and tick control, you can use beneficial nematodes instead.  Check out www.arbico.com and call or e-mail them to find out the right nematodes to use in your area for these pests.  Other companies sell the nematodes; this is the only one that I am familiar with. 

Admittedly, nematodes are more expensive and more labor-intensive than DE.  Some beneficials may be affected by nematodes, but less than by pyrethrins. 

Also, pyrethrins and PBO are harmful to the groundwater and aquatic animals.

DE without PBO will work more slowly in the house to get rid of fleas, so other measures may have to be added if you have a bad infestation.  Using a borate powder along with DE often works well; there are some flea control borate powders made specifically for this purpose.  Borates carry a slight toxicity but I feel they are less toxic than pyrethrins and PBO. 

I have never read that DE only works on soft-bodied insects.  Quite the opposite--the sharp microscopic size points on the shells cut through hard insect chitin and then the DE dries out the insect.  It does work on fleas!

Since fleas can carry disease organisms, it's not a good idea to crush them between your fingernails--you can expose yourself to the pathogens.  Instead, when you are flea combing your pet, have a small pan of soapy water in reach, and drop the flea into the water.  Soapy water will drown it--just a few drops of dish detergent works well.

I was not new to diatomaceous earth but I did use it last summer when my cat who had kidney disease picked up fleas either at the vet's office or because they were in my apartment building.  I said I would not use it again because of the dust it made all over my furniture plus it made the carpet feel dirty and stiff.  I also did not like the fact that both my cat and I were breathing those air particles.  I probably spent $80-$100 trying products that I thought would be safe for my sick cat but finally after 2 months ended up having to use Advantage (one time).  Fleas gone!  I also sprayed my entire apartment with an insect growth inhibitor and will probably do the latter again before flea season starts just to be safe.  That way any that get into my apartment will be stopped in their tracks. 

Here is some information about the toxicity of PBO:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidefactsheets/toxic/PBOs.htm

Apparently it can be dangerous to humans as well as insects and aquatic life.  Please don't use this outside; it will get into the groundwater and affect whatever lives downstream.

Since it's a synergist (makes the action of the pyrethrins stronger) and has not been fully studied, we don't really know the toxicity of PBO when combined with pyrethrins.

Yikes...I had heard about DE irritating the lungs before but not about blinding dogs or hurting human lungs...I don't know I think I'm going to stick with diluted essential oils and garlic as we don't really  have a major flea problem, but ticks are bad.

how about cedarcide.com. it is a natural product containing cedar oil. someone i know used it and it was the only thing that killed the fleas

so much to take in about the DE....i have lots of kitties and 4 dogs and am already having a flea problem....i was ready to place my order for either the food grade DE or the one with pyrethrins (sp?) and after reading all of the above comments, i am more confused than ever......i tried to go to the cedarcide website and couldn't........could someone (Susan?) please help me out here before the fleas are out of control? Thank you to all for responding.

Diatomaceous earth works great for flea control. In fact it works well as a natural insecticide against most crawling insects.

Food grade diatomaceous earth is safe to use on and around almost all animals including cats, dogs, birds, etc. It can be put directly on to the animal as well as used around the house to kill insects including fleas.

When treating your animals for fleas simply sprinkle the diatomaceous earth throught their fur, especially along their backbone.

The DE will kill the fleas by lacerating their exoskeletons and dehydrating them. Make sure that you re-apply the DE is the animal gets wet.