Diatomaceous earth as a pest control? Pest-filled house?
Me and my fiance are trying to fix up an old house her father is giving to us when we move out, and it is in need of many repairs including plumbing, heating, etc. This house has been unoccupied for quite a while now due to lack of renters. I have seen roaches, and I was told there may be bedbugs, too. I am sure there may be other pests, too, given the condition of the house.
I was hoping to get rid of these pests or get them under control before we begin other work. Will diatomaceous earth work to deter roaches/bedbugs or dehydrate them? If so, how do we apply it? There is not heat in the house, so I thought this coming winter would be a good time to attack any pests there, but I do not know much about pest control. Will I have to hire someone, or will I be able to use methods myself? Thanks!
November 21st, 2011 at 4:35 am
From Dollar store buy Roach Powder which is boric acid. this is very effective as long as it doesn’t get wet. to get rid of all living things in the house, plug up all air vents and fumigate. You can buy cans to do this, or I have used sulphur candles in a plate of water to avoid setting the place on fire. It will kill everything, including next-door neighbors with emphysema, but will corrode metals if you don’t grease them.
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November 21st, 2011 at 5:35 am
Different pests are killed via different methods. What works on one won’t work on another, and you don’t even know what pests you have. In addition, bed bugs are very, very hard to get rid of. It takes most exterminators, who are working with chemicals you, as a regular person, can’t buy. And it normally takes them multiple treatments to get rid of the bedbugs.
In other words, I’m not sure how well your DIY plan is going to work. I’d recommend you call in a pro.
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November 21st, 2011 at 6:36 am
For roaches, I would exterminate the home while it is empty. Diatomaceous earth will help, but because the house has been left to itself for so long, it would be best to get a professional to do the job now, while the house is uninhabited. Diatomaceous earth is best used for garden pests. Better to start out knowing the house is bug free. Contact a pest control company.
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November 21st, 2011 at 7:36 am
I have not heard of using diatomaceous earth for roaches — it works best on soft bodied pests like slugs (it feels like broken glass to them). Roaches are hard shelled and pretty tough. Boric Acid worked for me — used to live in a second floor duples where the downstairs folks were nice people but total space cadet slobs. They had a second house in the Virgin Islands and would leave for a few months to go down there, leaving their apartment below us with all the food out in the cupboards and tables and trash can and in the fridge. The roaches would party for a few weeks on the stuff they left until it was gone (and there were now thousands of new roaches) and then they would start to flood upstairs into our place. We covered the back steps from the apartment and under all the cabinets with boric acid and it seemed to do the trick.
I was SO glad to move out of that place. Just for safety, anytime since then that I do a kitchen remodel I pour a layer of Boric Acid under the lower cabinets in the toe space before I seal them up. Haven’t had a roach since.
Good luck! Roaches are a b1tch to get rid of, but once you do and you make sure you never have food out for them (including pet food) you can usually keep them away.
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