[Nigel Bolton]

Given that much of the UK is experiencing its first rain for some time and that the air is becoming much more humid, today, and especially this evening will be a good time to try and control gastropods, those nasty, slimy slugs and snails that are so good at demolishing one's well tended young plants.

After today's showers, perhaps the best way for initial control is to go out just after dark with a torch and a bucket of salty water. Picking slugs and snails off the ground and or plants should be fairly straight-forward. Remember, they have been holed up for some time due to the dry and will be hungry, so will be out in force.

If possible, if one has well ordered seed beds, it may be possible to sprinkle saw-dust, egg shells or coarse sand around these thus preventing a general infestation, but this will not stop larger slugs or snails from entering.

Digging over the garden during the next couple of days after the rain should reveal any laid eggs. These are white and about the size of a polystyrene sphere. Crush if found.

If possible, lay some beer traps. Sink plastic cups into the ground and lace with around 2cm of real ale in the bottom. Partially cover with a stone or brick. Slugs will go in to drink, get pissed, fall in and drown. This is an especially good method of control as it is environmentally friendly. Try to get your local publican to give you some slops.

Planting of marigolds in the veg patch can also aid slug protection as slugs will often climb into these plants during evenings. They can then be picked off and placed in salty water.

Try to avoid using pellets. Although they may be environmentally friendy, they have a habit of attracting slugs and snails from further afield, therefore, although may kill many, more will arrive, and you will probably be doing your neighbours a good turn.

N.

[skanky]

Apparently, back in WWI two biologists studied slugs in a garden for three years. They went out every night and removed every single slug they could find.
The first year they removed ~39,000.
The second year they removed ~41,000
The third year they removed ~43,000

Not sure how reliable this report is, it was on a TV programme. I keep meaning to try and find it.

Also, worth noting that most slugs are useful - they fulfil the same role as earthworms. There are only one or two varieties that cause the damage we're trying to control. So it would be sensible to try and limit the slug removal to those types.

Finally, plant selection and protection may be the best. I did see one raised bed once where two copper wires were run round it. The slugs fell off when they made a contact between the two.

[Andy Mayhew]

Quote

Nigel Bolton - 25/4/2010 04:31

Try to avoid using pellets. Although they may be environmentally friendy, they have a habit of attracting slugs and snails from further afield, therefore, although may kill many, more will arrive, and you will probably be doing your neighbours a good turn.

N.

Maybe the answer is to put slug pellets in your neighbours' gardens!  :D

 

The other solution is to fill your garden with hedgehogs and thrushes.   Sadly my hedgehog disappeared a couple of years ago.  But we do have a family of thrushes nesting here this year.

[Coolcirrus]

When I planted marigolds as a slug trap the slugs consumed some of the plants entirely. Quite impressive to see a whole flowering marigold disappear overnight! Although the idea of putting pots of beer in the ground appears popular, it may be unethical due to the side-effects. The local foxes started drinking the alcohol and I managed to capture more large beneficial ground beetles (Pterostichus spp, Carabus violaceus, etc) than slugs! When pitfall traps are used in research field studies (with water instead of beer) it is quite common to find small mammals (e.g. shrews and wood mice) drowned in them although thankfully this didn't happen in my garden.

[Uskys]

I would never use salt... its a horrible death :) But I do find collecting them in a bucket, early night, works - doesn't corrospond with what Adam says above - and then emptying the bucket in the neighbours garden!
Copper bands do work around pots and on staging..... The dozens of frogs help greatly...My good lady uses Nematoads with some success but I don't know how cruel this is.

[Paul Radon]

Out of interest, how do the copper wires work?

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

Andy Mayhew - 25/4/2010 09:00

Quote

Nigel Bolton - 25/4/2010 04:31

Try to avoid using pellets. Although they may be environmentally friendy, they have a habit of attracting slugs and snails from further afield, therefore, although may kill many, more will arrive, and you will probably be doing your neighbours a good turn.

N.

Maybe the answer is to put slug pellets in your neighbours' gardens!  :D

 

The other solution is to fill your garden with hedgehogs and thrushes.   Sadly my hedgehog disappeared a couple of years ago.  But we do have a family of thrushes nesting here this year.

I used to have a family of thrushes. Unfortunately, they killed themselves after flying into my patio doors after I had cleaned them. I now have vertical blinds so as to prevent this problem.

I think I have hedgehogs, as there are tell tale signs around the garden, but I have never seen tham. I also have slow worms.

As regards copper wire, reading round, apparently it creates an electric field which causes slugs to get electric shocks if they touch it. It is most suitable for raised beds where the wire can be suspended above the ground in a loop around its frame.

Not sure whether this will work in the rain.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

Uskys - 25/4/2010 11:27 I would never use salt... its a horrible death :) But I do find collecting them in a bucket, early night, works - doesn't corrospond with what Adam says above - and then emptying the bucket in the neighbours garden! Copper bands do work around pots and on staging..... The dozens of frogs help greatly...My good lady uses Nematoads with some success but I don't know how cruel this is.

Slugs can travel some distance on a damp, warm night, probably several tens of metres. Removing them to somewhere local will not solve the problem.

N.

[John Mason]

Get a couple of ducks - Khaki Campbells have a great reputation as de-sluggers!

Organic gardening outlets sell pellets which are not attractive to other species and are advertised as "wildlife-friendly".

Cheers - John 

[skanky]

A bit old, but still useful: http://www.cardiff.a...info/wocs2.html

Erm or this? http://www.technovel...sp?NewsNum=1763

[skanky]

More info (much repeated):

http://www.slugcontr...ugsBrochure.pdf
http://www.maths.gla...ntrol/Slug.html

One idea for beer traps is to use saucers on the path or lawn with small sticks as bridges. This prevents the drowning of other species.

[Bazmundo]

Not looking forward to snail hunting this weekend, noticed a lot of them on the march yesterday including the yellow-banded ones.

[Nigel Bolton]

Can certainly say the 'marigold' method worked well, particularly for slugs, this year, although some of those plants do now look a little the worse for wear. Had far fewer problems with slugs and snails this year, even after the dry weather finished in August.

N.

[skanky]

If you're going to throw snails, remember that they can return to the garden from at least as afar as 30m away. ;)

[Nigel Bolton]

Slugs and snails likely to be a major problem tonight. Many areas are warm and drizzly, and slugs and snails are likely to take full advantage of the mild and damp.

N.

[kvet]

Nematoads? Are they like nemafrogs? I think you mean nematodes. Their success rate is to say the least variable. As a once-practising vet. who has often dealt with the grim consequences of metaldehyde-slug bait- poisoning in dogs and even the odd cat, I still use the stuff but put it under tilted slates. It's not washed away, it seems just as effective, and in 25 years of dogs freely coming into the garden-we're on a dog walkers' route- I've never had any trouble. I think it's still by far the most effective control.

[John Mason]

I'm running an experiment this year. I have a bed of spinach and chard plants that I have ring-fenced with crushed oystershells from the local beach. Reportedly, slugs hate crawling over this stuff due to the sharpness of the calcite flakes. I'll report back if this has been effective in a few days. If it works and you live near the coast, it will be a cheap solution to the problem!

Cheers - John

[Andy Mayhew]

The thrushes that moved into my garden a couple of years ago are doing a great job at keeping the snail population down, even if they are a tad noisy at times and the ground seems to be constantly littered with broken shells!

[Nigel Bolton]

Interestingly, no where near as much damage as feared, though I did go out with a bucket of salty water and a torch before bed and found a few of the 'black' variety. They should be most of the way to the coast by now.

Some nibbling of beans and spinach leaves, but most plants untouched.

Do slugs lay eggs year round? I am wondering if early egg laying has been put paid to by two very dry Aprils, thus causing slug and snail population to diminish naturally.

N.