Article 6451 of misc.rural:
Path: samba.oit.unc.edu!concert!inxs.concert.net!taco!gatech!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!darwin.sura.net!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!csus.edu!csulb.edu!ries
From: ries@beach.csulb.edu (Marc Ries)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Eco-friendly war on bugs
Date: 16 Sep 1993 15:57:07 GMT
Organization: Cal State Long Beach
Lines: 22
Message-ID: <27a2cj$jlk@garuda.csulb.edu>
References: <277op2$lne@orca.es.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: beach.csulb.edu

In article <277op2$lne@orca.es.com>,
Michael Drews <mdrews@iguana.dsd.es.com> wrote:
>A while back there was a discussion about controlling bugs without using 
>pesticides.  I believe the suggested method was to use a powder that 
>abraded holes in their exoskeleton which caused them to dehydrate.  This 
>sounds better to me than spraying diazanon in my house.  Unfortunately, I 
>don't remember what the exact substance was, but it was something like 
>boric acid or diatomaceous earth.  

  Diatomaceous Earth physically kills the "bugs" by puncturing the 
     exoskeleton. Make sure you DON'T get the kind used for pool/spa
     filters, as this will not have the same effect. DE is also
     used for internal parasite control in animals. 

  Boric Acid chemically kills the bugs by dehydrating them. 

  A new commercial pesticide has just been released that is based
  on garlic extract (there are a variety of "home recipes" for 
  similar spray) at about $20/pint [a gallon will cover 19 acres].

  There is also insecticidal soaps, etc. 




