Diatomaceous Earth is commonly used in barns and poultry houses to kill crawling insects such as darkling beetles. The following are guidelines that have been recommended by our consumers for the application of Diatomaceous Earth for darkling beetles in a barn or poultry house with a clay floor. For application to concrete or other types of flooring, please see Applying Diatomaceous Earth for Darkling Beetles.
Apply the diatomaceous earth to a clean surface (if possible), prior to adding any litter.
• Start at one end of the barn or poultry house and apply the diatomaceous earth
extending 4 ft. out from the wall around the entire perimeter.
• Apply a thick layer of DE in the first 2 ft. out from the wall and a thinner layer for the
following 2 ft. (one 40 lb bag will cover an area 4 ft. out from the walls and 25-35 ft. long).
• Sprinkle additional product under and around feeding trays and watering bowls (this will
help to eliminate the beetles that emerge to feed from these sources).
Please note: A fine granulation (or a powdered granulation, if necessary) will work best. As well, the thicker the application of diatomaceous earth, the more effective it will be (a larger infestation will require a thicker application).