Dusting Sulphur for chiggars, dangerous for animals?

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My son is having problems with chiggars. I bought some dusting sulphur to put out for them, but I have Ducks in the yard, as well as baby chicks less than a week old, and 2 young kittens.

Is the Sulphur harmful to anything when used on the ground?

Thanks,

-- D (anatida@hotmail.com), June 27, 2001

Answers

I don't know that one. I've always just put it on my socks and shoes. If I'm wearing long pants, I'll sometimes pat some around on those for good measure.

The amount required to make the soil toxic would be pretty high, I would think. A lot of the ground-water in Florida has a high concentration of sulfur (at least by smell !) and nothing seems to be affected by it.

Of course, your mileage may vary...

J

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), June 27, 2001.


Since sulfur is a needed mineral/element or whatever... in animals diets, really can't see where it could be toxic if used as a dust. Perhaps protecting the eyes and making sure it isn't inhaled, like when using DE, and perhaps not using it on animals like cats who lick themselves so much. Not a clue really, this is just logic, flawed logic perhaps :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 27, 2001.

Sulfur dusted on the ground, on your clothes, or on your animals is very effective and completely safe. It can even be ingested in the form of tablets and is good for stomach upset, etc. We dust it on the ground to control ticks and chiggers which are a real menace in SW Arkansas. It is not water soluble (sp?) (can't mix it with water), and it is messy to dust with, but it is effective. I have used products containing DEET in the past, but I won't in the future. It is very toxic and yet is sold for children's use. Sulfur is much safer and it is actually more effective for me. Diotomaceous Earth (DE) is also effective, but it does not repel the little beasties. I don't want them on me or my animals even if they are already dying from the DE. For that reason, I prefer sulfur.

Martha

-- Martha Vinson (mlvinson@yahoo.com), July 02, 2001.


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