Squirming insects and larvae were everywhere and the Rye family had tried every inserticide in the stores near them. Suddenly, Billy-Bob got an idea. He ran up the stairs to his room and got his science-kit. Billy-Bob pulled out the Diatomaceous Earth. There were two different packages. One was labeled swimming pool and the other was unlabeled. He thought for a second and decided to use the unlabeled because he knew that something to filter swimming polls would not do the trick. He ran down the stairs extremely quickly and sprinkled the entire package of Diatomaceous Earth on the gathered ants. The little particles pierce in-between plates of the exoskeleton causing the insects and their larvae to die a death of dehydration.
GM foods
Genetically modified foods, GM foods for short, are foods that have a change of genes to make it so that bugs will die when they dig in. However, bugs can adapt to this change of genes plus the wind can make monster plants. As you found out above, Diatomaceous Earth can also kill bugs. People know more about Diatomaceous Earth. Bugs will probably adapt to the change of genes in GM foods some day but they won’t adapt as quickly to being pierced.
What is Diatomaceous Earth?
There are two different types of Diatomaceous Earth. One is used in pool filters and if you breath it in too heavily for too long, it can cause lung problems. The other type is used for many things. It is put in animal food and fed to plants to help growth. It can be mixed with human food to kill insects and parasites without harming humans. Diatomaceous Earth is used in toothpaste, cigars, plastics, paprika, paints, pool filters, fish tank filters, and fertilizers.
"Diatomaceous Earth is a natural (not calcined or flux calcined) compound with many elements which include:
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)------83.70%
Aluminum Oxide (A12O3)------5.60%
Iron Oxide (Fe2O3)----------2.30%
Calcium Oxide (CaO)---------0.40%
Magnesium Oxide (MgO)-------0.40%
Other Oxides----------------1.90%
Ignition Loss at 1000-------5.30%
(http://www.hydromall.com/happy_grower16.html)
Diatomaceous Earth is a nontoxic substance made from fossils of fresh-water or marine life crushed into a fine powder. When observed through a microscope, the particles appear to be broken glass. These particles are fossilized diatoms. When diatoms die, they sink to the bottom of the water area in which they lived. They are found at the bottom of bodies of water, dry lakes, river beds, and the sea shore. Diatoms are mined and ground into diatomaceous earth, a yellow, white, and light gray powder with the same texture as sand.
Testing
There are two different procedures for testing Diatomaceous Earth. The field has a procedure for sample collection and the laboratory has a procedure for testing. In the field, a geologist cuts a flat, shallow channel with a mason hammer. The cut is parallel with the bedding. One foot away, it’s marked with nails. The area is swept with a stiff brush to clean away the loose debris using only downward strokes. Gummed tape is pressed evenly next to the channel. It’s pressed onto a plastic strip, labeled, and sent to a laboratory for testing. The laboratory strips the gummed tape off of the stiff plastic. A thin layer of Diatomaceous Earth particles is left on the thin plastic. A solution of Hyrax diluted with Xylene in a glass atomizer is used to spray a thin coating on the plastic strip, making the particles stay. The coating is left to dry for an hour or more, depending upon environmental conditions. After that, the strip is used as a slide that can be examined directly under a microscope. The coating protects the sample from wearing out when dipped in liquids such as castor oil or glycerine.
Conclusion
Diatomaceous Earth is an interesting substance once you get into details. It has many uses in everyday life. Who would have thought that a little fossil could do so much?
[Boy did I have a good time turning this into something worth reading! (not being sarcastic, it really was fun to write) There are 2 things really special about this essay. The first is that my teacher chose it as the paper to be read a our school's "Author of the Month" assembly, the first time I had ever been picked. The second important feature of this paper is that it coincided with the birth if my start with a story style. At the time, through the rest of 5th and up until very recently, I actually was even more specific and tried to start with dialog whenever possible and I also loved to start a fact filled paper with a touch of fiction as a hook. This was really important because the start with a story hasn't changed. Even if I don't force the anecdote intro, it is still my number one choice.]
