Many of you expressed some surprise last week when we posted our article about using Crawling Insect Control DE to combat spiders and bugs in your homes. There was a little bit of surprise about how little DE was required to combat the pesky critters that might be invading your home.
So, let's look at three different approaches to applying DE in order to protect your home from some invasive species.
First
Let's deal with the method which is going to best serve you throughout the summer months: The Spray Bottle.
This method is extremely effective at getting the minimal amount of DE needed, distributed effectively. The DE used to combat bugs in your house should be distributed similarly to dust.
Mix 1 part DE with 3 to 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Be sure to shake the spray bottle vigorously until the DE is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Go to wherever you frequently see lines of ants, openings used by spiders, or holes that roaches like to use. Remember, the goal here is to let the water evaporate and leave behind an even distribution of DE. Don't spray the water on anything that can be damaged by exposure to water or DE.
After the water evaporates, leave the remaining DE for a few weeks to affect the bugs that may be making their way through your house.
Second
You could use an old makeup brush to apply the DE. Remember, you are just dusting, you don't want to use a lot of the stuff because small mounds of DE will just get bugs to move around them. DE can take some time to kill a bug, but, if applied properly, bugs will be deterred after a few days.
Third
If you are bothered by putting all that together and you just want to do it in the most hassle-free way possible, we cannot recommend highly enough that you purchase one of our DE applicators.
Great for storage and use as needed, the Squeeze Duster is our most popular applicator because it's affordable and easy to use. Simply give it a few shakes allowing air into the duster, then squeeze the tube to release diffused DE.
If you are dealing with cracks, crevasses, and hard to reach places, take a look at our JT Eaton Duster. The skinny nozzle is ideal to access those hard-to-reach places and makes keeping your home free from bugs that enter from even the tightest of spaces.
In any case, once you have had the DE out for a couple of weeks, sweep it up and then go and reapply if your pest problems persist.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the use of DE in your home or how to apply it, ask in the comment section below and we will help answer your questions about DE in the coming weeks.