Diatomaceous earth (DE) has the potential to decrease pest damage to plants both indirectly by being a source of silica if applied as a soil amendment and directly as a physical barrier if applied to foliage. For applicability in Louisiana sugarcane, DE would need to be effective at controlling the sugarcane borer (SCB), the primary economic pest, while not harming natural enemies like the red imported fire ant (RIFA) that provide biological control. We examined DE formulated for agricultural use by evaluating its potential as a sugarcane soil amendment and a foliar treatment. We determined impacts of a DE soil amendment on SCB damage and yield in a field test then evaluated if the amendment negatively impacted RIFA survival in a laboratory assay. Using potted plants, we assessed efficacy of DE foliar applications against SCB followed by a visual assessment of product longevity in the field. We found that the DE soil amendment did not alter SCB damage or yield but neither did it impact RIFA survival. Unlike the soil amendment, foliar application in a rain-free environment decreased SCB damage to stalks. However, the product did not last long on leaves or stalks under typical Louisiana field conditions. Given that the most used insecticide in sugarcane only requires 1-2 applications per year and does not disrupt biological control while DE would require many costly applications due to plant growth rates and precipitation levels, we suspect that DE is not currently a good fit for use with Louisiana sugarcane production.