Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
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You're right, chalk is the cast-off shells of coccolithophores, and diatomaceous earth is the cast-off shells of diatoms. I always get those confused.
(Seriously, I did think the critters responsible for chalk were diatoms. Just goes to show you can't always trust what you learn from your best friend's 8th grade science fair project!)
I suspect the effect on ants is the same, however, given the other uses of chalk, e.g. by climbers as a perspiration drying agent.
There were a few ants on my desk when I first came in, investigating a cardboard box of crackers I'd left on my desk to dry out after a kheer containment failure.
But I checked the cracker sleeves inside, and they seemed to be ant-free, so I ditched the box and put the crackers away in a drawer. There are currently (as far as I can tell) no ants on my desk.