Still, we must deal with some invading and unwelcome creepy-crawlies in homes and camps. The child died. Inventor Dorsey Dunlap was a friend of the boy's family, and he set to work on developing an effective but nontoxic insecticide. It took twenty years and the help of University of Pennsylvania entomologist Robert Snetsinger, but Dunlap thinks he's done it. Roaches, ants, termites, spiders, silverfish and such are all arthropods.
Typical insecticides kill pests by attacking their nervous system.
What it does do is poke tiny holes in their protective exoskeletons. They lose fluid through the holes and dehydrate to death. The main ingredient in the new insecticide, called Shellshock by its inventors, is diatomaceous earth. That's a substance already in common use, in products as diverse as cat litter and toothpaste. It's safe, abrasive, and absorbent.