Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[redhotchick]

I'm sure I read some time ago that if you sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth on the garden on a still dry day it will help to cut down the number of flies. I found something quite interesting

 

http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

 

From what I've read it seems that if you add an amount not exceeding 2% to chicken feed it will pass straight through and any flies attracted to the poop will die. Ha ha ha

 

I'm wondering if I sprinkle it onto my tomato plants will it kill any aphids/greenfly?

I'm a bit worried that as a pest control method it will also harm ladybirds.

[Valkyrie]

Well thankies for that super sleuthing - it's solved a dilemma for me. I have been using Christian's method of garlic spray for aphids (but I think the hover flies/ladybirds/lacewings have sorted them out in the garden) - particularly in the greenhouse - see flies try and buzz off when I squirt it around. But I see that the diatom will affect the slugs and possibly snails - my biggest bugbear here. So I will put a little around my runner beans because they are being munched to the ground after growing so well. I won't do too much because I don't want to harm the worms and other good ground creatures.

[redhotchick]

I won't do too much because I don't want to harm the worms and other good ground creatures.

 

Koojie, I read that DE doesn't affect earthworms. I don't know about other ground creatures though.

[Valkyrie]

Alrighty then! I shall be doing that tomorrow - if there's any left to protect! OH had the sprinkler on this evening - well, until the rain started, so there didn't seem any point in putting it on until it dries up. I am so looking forward to my revenge.

[Egluntyne]

I sprinkle it around the bases of tender seedlings such as lettuce and find that it does seem to protect against slugs.