Slugs

[justontime]

I try to share my garden with the wildlife in our neighbourhood without making life difficult for them. We get foxes sometimes, and hedgehogs visit regularly. I can even tolerate creepy crawlies, and ants, but there is one pest that refuses to play fair - slugs! They munch away at everything in sight and I have to at least reduce their numbers. How do you get rid of slugs without harming anything else? Oh, and if anyone knows how to stop my dog rolling in fox poo I would be very grateful, it smells terrible!

[Serenity]

You could try beer traps. You bury a jar up to its neck at soil level then add some beer to it. The slugs crawl in trying to get at it and then fall in and can't get out.

I just use a torch and a salt container then get out there at night when they're most active. If you sprinkle salt on them, they shrivel up and die. It's gross but works. Try not to look like a burglar while you're looking under leaves for them in the dark LOL.

[rubybeetle]

I've heard to mix something gritty in the soil would deter them because it scratches them. I haven't actually tried it, so I don't know if it works or not.

[Chris]

Iv'e heard the beer trick many times.

Additionally the commercial slug baits work well.

[Green-Moo]

Put things around your delicate plants that slugs will not appreciate moving over, like pet hair, coffee grounds or even cut up plastic bottles. You could also try copper as apparantly this works too. I've never tried it though.

[justontime]

You could try beer traps. You bury a jar up to its neck at soil level then add some beer to it. The slugs crawl in trying to get at it and then fall in and can't get out.

I just use a torch and a salt container then get out there at night when they're most active. If you sprinkle salt on them, they shrivel up and die. It's gross but works. Try not to look like a burglar while you're looking under leaves for them in the dark LOL.

I'm too much of a wimp to try the death by salt, but I will try the bear traps, at least they will die happy! I have tried various ground barriers without success, I am beginning to think we must have flying slugs!

[Serenity]

I'm too much of a wimp to try the death by salt, but I will try the bear traps, at least they will die happy! I have tried various ground barriers without success, I am beginning to think we must have flying slugs!

Either that or they have trampolines or pogo sticks.

The beer works well. I've used these traps before with lemonade too which works if you don't have beer in the house. I think any kind of sweet liquid will attract them.

A word of warning though, don't leave it too long before you empty it out and replace the beer. Drowned slugs are pretty disgusting anyway but even more so after a few days of fermentation! Empty it out each morning if there's anything in it.

[Serenity]

Iv'e heard the beer trick many times.

Additionally the commercial slug baits work well.

Chris, I used to use the commercial slug pellets up until a few years ago. Then my brother-in-law told me that it kills birds too, because the birds eat the poisoned slugs. Now whether that's true or not I don't know as I didn't look into it any further, but it was enough to put me off using it. Maybe you can tell me if that's just a myth.

[justontime]

Either that or they have trampolines or pogo sticks.

The beer works well. I've used these traps before with lemonade too which works if you don't have beer in the house. I think any kind of sweet liquid will attract them.

A word of warning though, don't leave it too long before you empty it out and replace the beer. Drowned slugs are pretty disgusting anyway but even more so after a few days of fermentation! Empty it out each morning if there's anything in it.

Well, we do have a trampoline in the garden!!

I will try it with a soft drink, I'm teetotal so I wasn't too keen on buying beer even for slugs.

My 13 year old son can deal with the casualties, he doesn't seem bothered by grim stuff like that. When he was younger he was always asking if he could dig up his dead hamsters to see if they had turned into skeletons!

[Serenity]

Well, we do have a trampoline in the garden!!

I will try it with a soft drink, I'm teetotal so I wasn't too keen on buying beer even for slugs.

My 13 year old son can deal with the casualties, he doesn't seem bothered by grim stuff like that. When he was younger he was always asking if he could dig up his dead hamsters to see if they had turned into skeletons!

That's funny! Why are boys so gross anyway, hmmm...mine was the same at that age. Don't forget you could send him out with a torch and salt too since he's not fazed by unpleasant things and get him to do the dirty work.

No one in my house drinks either, which is why I know the lemonade works. Any kind of soda will do, just whatever you have to hand. I find a jelly jar's about the right size to bury.