Dr. Killigan's Diatomaceous Earth Applicator, Bulb Duster, Small 8oz

About a month ago I repotted 5 of my 8 indoor houseplants. To my disappointment, the soil I had bought from the garden supply store was absolutely INFESTED with fungus gnats (I assume the eggs/larvae, not adults). If you’re not aware, fungus gnats are not just annoying, but their larvae eat fungus in the soil, but can also eat the roots of your plants which is really bad if it goes unchecked. Through all the research I’ve done, the most effective method seems to be using yellow gnat sticky traps, mosquito bit “tea” you water your plants with, and some people recommended a dusting of diatomaceous earth on the surface of the soil to kill the adults that are trying to get to the dirt to lay eggs. I’ve been using the traps and mosquito bit water and it’s made a difference. But I haven’t been using the DE since I didn’t have a way to dust it on my plants. So I bought this. I bought the small one and it was super easy to fill with the provided funnel, and very easy and simple to use. Every part of it feels high quality and will last for years to come. I also love the additional attachments it comes with particularly the tubing. When you dust your plants it’s important to not just get the soil but also on the tops and undersides of the leaves. The tubing helped me dust the undersides of the leaves, and it helped me reach through in through the plant to reach the soil (pictured). It’s kinda hard to tell in the picture but it has a light dusting of DE all over it. Even though the gnats only lay eggs in the soil, they can rest on the rest of the plant too so my hope is those ones will get killed by landing anywhere on the plant. I also had discovered aphids on that same plant so that’s also the other reason I dusted the entire plant and under leaves. I think I caught the aphids early enough and cut off the effected vine, so I don’t believe they will be as big of an issue as the gnats have been. But just in case it’s there lol. If you’re wanting to use DE on your plants for pest control, keep in mind if you water your plant it will wet the DE and won’t be useful. When the plant/soil dries out again, you will need to reapply the DE so it stays dry. It’s basically useless when wet.This little dusting bulb was a good investment though if even though it was kind of expensive. It’s useful for applications all over the house. But you get what you pay for and I think it’s worth it if you care about having something that will last for years to come.There are way cheaper options on Amazon but those I found, didn’t come with the mixing ball, funnel, and didn’t seem as good of quality and had a lot of negative reviews. I just got it today and only used it to dust my 8 house plants but so far I’m satisfied with the purchase and recommend it. I will be using it for months to come so if I have any problems with it I will update my review. If it’s not updated then everything works as it should lol.Last thing I wanted to mention is that DE can be slightly dangerous to inhale (just google side effects from long term DE inhalation). Doesn’t matter if it’s good grade or not. And when you’re dusting indoors it creates a cloud that takes a while to settle. So when filling the bottle or using it around inside your home, wear a mask just in case, and maybe leave the room and keep pets/kids away for a while until it settles . It probably won’t hurt anything if you don’t if you only use it a couple times here and there, and I’m sure you’d have to breathe in a lot of it to cause any substantial health issues, but just thought I’d mention it for those wanting to use a lot of it around the home (like for treating bed bugs for example). Once it’s settled though it’s not a danger to anyone as it stays on the floor or surfaces unless it’s disturbed. DE is also not dangerous to ingest as long as it’s the food grade kind.

It’s a quality item and functions well..

Beautifully engineered. Someone really thought of every aspect of usage and provided every single thing you need from easy filling to long reach for dispersal. Only flaw, that cost a star, is it does, like others have noted, clog with diatomaceous earth. I still prefer it to the accordion style one I had that was spewing powder everywhere except where you really wanted it.

I bought this on the recommendation of my brother to use for dusting a bee’s nest. I had never heard of a Bulb Duster before or using a powder to kill bees. I checked online for other makers of dusters and found many others at lower prices. Ultimately, I chose this manufacturer due to the recommendation of my brother. I had no issues with the order and delivery time was as promised at the time of ordering. My impression of this duster is that it is high quality and will last a lifetime. I really like the included funnel for use in filling the duster with powder. It sits nicely on the duster and covers the internal threads that the dust cap screws into. To fill the bulb, you hold it with the open end pointing up, place the funnel into the opening of the duster bulb and fill it with whatever powder you are using. There is a ball bearing that goes in the bulb that you use to break up any clumps or mix whatever powder you are using by shaking the bulb after you fill it, and the ball bearing moves around inside the bulb. It’s very much like the ball bearing inside of a can of spray paint. Everything about this duster has the feel of quality. I like the extension tubes that are included. I used both extension rods and the flexible tube to spray powder under the siding of my house where bees were accessing a nest. I was able to stand by the outside wall and bend the flexible tube upward to spray dust vertically up under the siding without having to crouch down or lay on the ground. The duster functioned without issue. A nice cloud of powder blasted out of the tube when I squeezed the bulb. I bought the smaller of the two sizes and find it more than adequate for my use. Based on my experience using this to spray/dust powder into an opening that bees were accessing, I recommend this for use.

I recently purchased **Dr. Killigan's The Insect Buster** bulb duster and sprayer, and it has exceeded my expectations! This tool is a must-have for anyone dealing with pesky insects around the house.The **bulb duster** feature is fantastic for targeting hard-to-reach areas. It effectively disperses insecticidal dust, allowing me to tackle spiders, ants, and other bugs that usually hide in corners and crevices. The design is intuitive, making it easy to use, and the **sprayer** attachment works perfectly for liquid treatments, too.What I love most is how efficient it is; I noticed a significant decrease in insects shortly after using it. Plus, it’s great for indoor and outdoor use, making it versatile for various pest control needs.Overall, Dr. Killigan's The Insect Buster is a reliable and effective solution for pest control. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quality product to keep their home insect-free!

I’m giving this 3 stars for being a well made quality product. And for diatomaceous earth it may function better but I wanted to apply boric acid powder which is more effective against bugs. As noted in other reviews, using it for this purpose the powder will clump when using the angled applicator tube. With just about every other squeeze you’ll have to clear that tube to apply more. I don’t know what the consistency of DE is so when used with that the clumping problem may not occur. And to be fair the product is sold to be used with DE.What I did was to replace the angled tube with the longer one which has a larger bore and then put the clear vinyl tubing over that. Configuring it that way makes it easier to get up by and around baseboards with no clumping. So it can be used with some manipulation with the powder but there may be better alternatives out there. For boric acid powder I would rate this lower but it is not sold for that purpose and would not be fair. Again it appears to be of high quality, easy to assemble and for DE may very work very well.

Just received my Dr. Killigan's diatomaceous earth powder duster in the mail today. Let me start by saying that it arrived so fast I had to stop and think what I ordered because I didn't expect it for a few more days. I have purchased Dr. Killigan's pantry moth traps before, and was so pleased with them that when I went to order more and I saw this DE applicator on their page, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm so glad I did! I usually don't write product reviews, but when I purchase something that is better than expected, I feel I owe it to the company and other consumers to leave feedback. The materials they used are really high quality. The rubber bulb is thick and sturdy, yet easy to squeeze, and the metal threads for the tip and bulb lid are so smooth. It even comes with an extension wand for those hard to reach places and so you don't have to bend over as much to use it. I need to reiterate how smooth the threads are... I'm very impressed. I know this will last a long time. Oh! And it comes with a funnel too, for easy filling. They thought of everything when designing this DE applicator. Lastly, I find Dr. Killigan's customer service to be the best I've ever experienced on Amazon. They respond to emails within hours, and are always able to answer any questions I have. Do yourself a favor and get one of these DE applicators and enjoy knowing you're using non-toxic, all natural insecticide. Grab some pantry moth traps while you're at it...they work great too. I love them and have ordered more. Another great product from a stellar company. A++

I have purchased both the small and large sizes. These things helped me quite a bit. I find that larger one sprays a bit better than the smaller. I find the smaller one harder to spray a bit and clogging more often. You can typically just tap it with your hand and it will unclog. You don't want to fight the clog when you are just trying to spray some powder. It may just be the space inside for powder to shake around in that may help not clogging. So, I would highly recommend getting the larger one.

The duster worked perfectly. Used it for a fine amorphous silica based insect dust and it didn’t clump and came out as a fine mist. The actual material used seems pretty durable and high quality.

What a find. So pleased with the Bulb Duster. Managed to get rid of a wasps nest with no problem.

What a brilliant product! It feels like they've thought of absolutely everything. The perfect funnel for filling it, the ball inside to keep it from clumping, the wire for clearing blockages, the plastic tubr for different angles. It's all just so well thought out.

When I became aware of the existence of diatomaceous earth (while researching flea treatments), the more I learned, the more I had to get some for all manner of applications in the home, garden, flea treatments and even as a dietary supplement… But I also quickly realised that you definitely need a dispenser.I believe in buying the best you can justify spending the money on to avoid pointless bad purchases of inadequate products which don’t last, and so I went for this one.I can’t comment on how well this item dispenses powder or how well controlled it is compared to others… But this is an incredibly well made item and obviously made to last many years. It’s a ‘one and done’ type product.There are dispensers which look very similar with a black rubber bulb, metal threads and a brass pipe and they’re half the price. Whether those are basically the same without the branding and design details I have no idea, but if you are trying to save as much money as possible then you should probably give one of those a try first. I’m sure the function will be basically the same.With regard to this item; The rubber feels great quality (no nasty cheap rubber smell), the nozzles/pipes are all heavy grade solid brass and the threaded lid is machined from solid aluminium with an anodised finish… It honestly could not be better made and the steel ball bearing inside is a nice feature to break up the powder (which I quickly learned is essential to avoid blockage)The ‘small’ size is approx 230ml (8oz) and that should be plenty big enough for most people unless you’re dusting your whole attic! The large size is almost double that size and totally overkill for me personally.The supplied selection of pipes and accessories enable you to direct the powder where you want it, regardless of application and situation e.g. the rubber tube is great for directing the powder upwards.My only complaint is the spray of powder is quite heavy and not really controllable as a thin mist. Depending on your usage you might find it throws out far too much powder. There are situations when I would love to have a much finer/lighter dispersion of powder.There are dispensers which have a separate small chamber for the powder and pass air over it to collect it (like a spray gun), which probably has the effect I’m looking for… However, diatomaceous earth is a very heavy clumpy ‘powder’ and probably can’t be dispensed like a fine dusty powder anyway, so take this criticism as entirely uneducated and possibly unfair.So yes… No real complaints with the product at all, well made and does what it’s designed for, but if the price seems a bit steep you should definitely try a cheaper alternative first as you’ll likely get the exact same results. I’m just a sucker for branding and nice design!

This is a handy bit of kit. Works well although it occasionally clogs up (handy wire included to unclog). Good quality so it should last.