Reddit reviews HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 2lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag

Harris Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 2lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728JL9SQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-0gzDbTH01MW9

Diatomaceous earth and neem oil work well for me. I would definitely try these before using chemicals. I would sprinkle DE everywhere let's it sit for a few days vacuum/ sweep up extra. I also put under fridge, stove, back of cabinets, anywhere it won't bother me or don't see daily and just leave it there. I mix neem oil in a bottle with water and spray baseboards, doorways, back of closets, around outside and places I won't see daily. It is oil though, so don't put on clothing or anything.



Harris Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 2lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728JL9SQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Md7QDbPFJ8M6D

Verdana Cold Pressed Neem Oil 32 Fl. Oz - Unrefined, Filtered - High Azadirachtin Content - 100% Neem Oil, Nothing Added or Removed - Indoor/Outdoor Leafshine, Pet Care, Skin Care, Hair Care https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071S56419/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Zc7QDb1667W0F

Ok here's the plan.

hasmat suit 7.50


Mesh tape 3.99

rubber gloves 5.99

Weapon 1.99

Total: 19.47

Suit up, mesh tape gap in gloves and over face hole. Swat at ants like my life depends on it. It's going to be a tough fight with such a constrained budget but it's the best plan I can come up with under budget. I splurged on better gloves since the low weapon budget left me with a rather short melee weapon.

A slightly higher budget would have allowed me to suit up and spread Diatomaceous earth $12.97 (replace the gloves with cheaper ones and skip the swatter) instead of resorting to melee attacks. 30 bucks would greatly increase my chances as survival as i could spread it around and just avoid the ants as best i could.

If survival isn't a win condition then

undiluted Bifen i/t $16.02

spray bottle $2.24

total: $18.26

This shit is serious stuff. Cover all the floor surfaces as wide i can. No ants will survive the room for the next few years.

Diatomaceous earth is a safe way to keep more from getting in (or at least kill them if they do get in. Just liberally sprinkle the sand in door and window frames. As insects walk over it, it scrapes away the waxy coating which causes them to dehydrate and die. It's completely nontoxic because it's basically just very very fine sand. No worries about you or your pets getting hurt by it. It's very cheep too. A few pounds will last you for a very long time. Here's a link to where you can order it, but most garden stores and even many hardware stores should carry it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0728JL9SQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1499747554&sr=8-15&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Diatomaceous+earth

Also make sure you have screens on your windows because if they can fly in, it defeats the purpose of the diatomaceous earth. Check the perimeter of your room for any places they may be getting in and block them or apply diatomaceous earth.

Cleaning up stray food will also keep bugs from being attracted to your house.

Baiting the kitchen is fine because that's likely where the majority of the infestation is but they should definitely be using a residual throughout the rest of the house.
If you want to take matters into your own hands, there are a few things you can do. First, get some of this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEG1FBU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_V49PDbDYH1VD9. Remove everything from all your cabinets, pull the refrigerator away from the wall and clean under and behind it, pull the stove away from the wall and clean under and behind it, and use the 565 in all reachable cracks and crevices. It doesn't take much, 1 or 2 second bursts is fine. I'm talking between the cabinets and the walls, between each cabinet, around the dishwasher, and anywhere else roaches may be hiding. If the refrigerator has cardboard covering the motor, remove the cardboard. Spray 565 around the motor. 565 is a flushing agent, it will kill the roaches but not immediately. The key is to vacuum up any roaches that come running out of the cracks and crevices and any egg sacs or dead roaches you see. Be prepared, if the infestation is bad there will be a lot of roaches. Keep flushing and vacuuming until you don't see any more roaches.
Get some of this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYRFAH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8f-PDbFW80BF2. Apply BB size drops on each hinge of every cabinet. This will get any nymphs that hatch from egg sacs you may have missed.
Get some of this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728JL9SQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Qk-PDb4QQ2NBM. Using the duster, apply a fine layer underneath the refrigerator and stove and if you want to behind any wall plates.
Of course, eliminating food and water sources if going to help tremendously as well.

Make sure it is food grade Diatomaceous earth and not the other kind. The other stuff is not safe for pets. I got mine on Amazon and use it on my plants mostly and for silverfish.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728JL9SQ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0728JL9SQ&pd_rd_w=Wy7Ay&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=vQ7My&pf_rd_r=6PB70P3P373CQ20AFX80&pd_rd_r=cd2e1606-82e2-11e9-b4c5-ef907af3647f

Get yourself some Diatomaceous earth with this little puffer thing. It has to be Food Grade and the one I linked is great, affordable, and you don't need that much. I swear by this stuff - dust every around an apartment I move into, dust around the outside of my doors, and dust around once a year in certain place. If you don't know what Diatomaceous earth is read the wiki article. Basically, it's super fine silica that gets into a bugs joints and literally shreds them from the inside out. Perfectly safe for humans and pets* (I will be a disclaimer at the end). You don't really need to use that much when you dust around - just a one or two puffs. So puff it on your windowsills on the outside and in the cracks and do a puff or two anywhere else you think the bugs are coming in. This works great for A LOT of bugs 1,000 leggers, roaches, ants, spiders, creepy crawlers, etc.

Here's where I dust with this stuff: Outside windowsills, under/behind the fridge, behind the oven, under the sink in the corners, behind the toilet, inside of baseboards if I can get in there, behind my bed on the ground, outside corners of front/back door, behind an entertainment center. If you have radiator heating, lift up the pipe cover and shoot some down there. You can open up outlet covers (kill the breaker if you can) and dust in there.

Disclaimer: You do now want to breath this stuff in or get it in your eyes. Absolutely wear a surgical mask and maybe some eye protection. Don't use a lot either! You don't want this stuff airborne. Seriously one or two puff and you're good to go for that area. It will fall and settle on the ground. If you are using it in high traffic areas, just vacuum up the extra. This stuff is food grade, you can actually eat (I don't) so it is safe for humans and pets. I find it way more effective than chemicals or traps. For real. I dust every apartment I live in (inside and covertly in areas outside) and I've never had issues with any sort of bugs. If I do see the odd stink bug or 1,000 legger, I'll dust that particular area and the problem will be gone. It's not an overnight, quick fix, but in a couple weeks you will be bug free.

Oh wow that scares me even further... I just really hope I can fix at least the expensive electronics.

I could see them eating glue, because they have been hanging out near my wooden TV stand where the Xbox sits on and has more electronics. And of course they are all in the kitchen. I see them go underneath the cabinets, under the dishwasher, under the oven etc.

I have a cat and he’s 18 so food and water fountain have to stay out but they rarely go near that because I keep it clean often and I pick up his food sometimes if he’s napping. All other food we are trying to keep sealed, I know the oven has so much residue in it that I can’t even get to. It’s an oven from like the 70s no joke.

What we have done for the past few years is use these liquid baits and they usually have stayed far away from our apartment unit. I’d put out about 12-18 of them throughout the 2 rooms, living room and kitchen and we would NEVER see them unless they were dead.

So I have those everywhere but that’s all I’ve done. I went and bought some of this liquid spray for all the entries and under things. Then I got some borax tablets too. I also picked up some diatomaceous earth for sprinkling because there are so many cracks and crevices I can’t reach with a vacuum or to clean.

Thank you so much for your reply.

bed bug infestations can be bad and some are ridiculous to get rid of, but if it's a recent development it might not be that big of an issue. bed bugs need to go through several moltings before they are capable of laying eggs. if you have hard floors, it's generally pretty easy to deal with a few if you catch it soon enough.

dust anywhere the helmet might have been with DE, has to be food grade though. inspect the areas around furniture for them, wash sheets and clothes on HOT and dry them in drier. if you have a couch the helmets been on, vacuum and dust the cushions as well. mattress covers that are designed for bed bugs can either keep them out of a virgin mattress, or keep them locked in if they're on it and you can't afford a new one.

my old place had a bed frame and couch from the previous occupants. the couch was pretty nice so i left it there, and the wooden bed stand was also solid. found the buggos crawling later, and i was just vigilante with the powder. eventually i gave up trying to save either one, and through them out. didn't have any ongoing issues with them.

bed bugs literally have to crawl out and suck your blood, and as adults are something between a flea/tick before, they're noticeable at some point.

https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Diatomaceous-Earth-Powder-Duster/dp/B0728JL9SQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539220656&sr=8-4-fkmr0&keywords=diameticous+earth+food+grade

Have you looked into food grade diatomaceous earth? you dust it under couches and on carpet blah blah, and the cockroaches walk through it and it gets stuck to them. It cuts them and dries them up. You will probably still see them for a while because it's not immediate like stomping on them or whatever. this is the one I have Farmers will put it in animal feed to kill parasites. It kills all sorts of bugs. Ughhh I hated living with cockroaches, I'm sorry you have to, too. :-(