I never recommend DE for general use in the garden. There are simply too many other beneficial and even essential creatures that can be harmed by the DE.

I use DE, but only in my garage where the Black Widows frolick.

do some superficial research on IPM ... integrated pest management ...

such dictates you ID a specific pest.. and attack it appropriately ...

general nuclear war ...or willy nilly napalm attacks .... on your garden .... are not really favored ... for the reasons rhiz notes ...

your county extension office might be able to help you ...

the key.. is focus.... not worrying now.. and be bummed in fall... if you want to do it right... you are out there very often.. observing.. and reacting.. to a specific problem ...

good luck

ken

ps: we dont have termite in MI ... thank God... but i think of the as subterranean ... so .. e.g. .... i dont understand how a product.. placed on top of the soil.. will have any impact on them .... and that is.. if i am correct.. why this treatment would not work for such ... [i presume they eventually come out.. but i would want them long dead.. before they emerge for some reason ...like mating .. or making a new colony ... or whatever they do .. bar hopping.. etc ...]

Diamotaceous Earth can be an effective pesticide for certain insects but it is not a general purpose pesticide and like many of the pesticides can have unwanted consequences such as killing beneficial insects as well as those we consider pests.
DE can be used for termites, but termites generally are not a garden pest.
Dry
DE may help with cutworms, but wet, even with dew, will do little to stop them.
The Harlequin Beetles and Squash bugs, of all kinds including the Borers, will only be harmed by DE during the larval stage unless you are there to dust them as they fly around.
De is one part of insect control and should be used with due care along with many other methods of insect pest control keeping in mind that many, even organic and natural, can do harm to the beneficial insects not used with great care.
Floating Row Covers can be of help as can a good reliable soil test.

KEN! Termites are alive and well in Michigan! Michigan State refers to the subterranean termite as an " important wood destroying pest " in Michigan. Yikes.

I'll bet that your extension website has a graphis of the infested counties.

thanks to all for your input. My intention was to mix the stuff in my garden with the spring till. yes I am a bit lazy when it comes to checking my garden and defending daily. I am more of an every few days kind of defender. I was looking for the easy way. guess when it comes to the demise of pests and the care of the beneficial ones there is no easy way. again thank you all