Slugs
Last post 13-09-2012 9:57 AM by AdamBorzy. 15 replies.
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17/07/2012 09:38 PM
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Hello
Does anyone know a good way of killing slugs?
Ideally I would like to find a way that deters others from returning to my garden.
In the old days they used to string up crows in a sort of 'gibbet' to scare off their evil kin. Can the same be done with slugs?
I'm not a masofist but every wet night, and there have been a lot of them, I see about 40 of the blighters strolling my patio like they own it.
Thanks, Arthur
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18/07/2012 09:02 AM
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Hedgehogs.......all the slugs attacking my plants were eaten by them which is why I never use slug pellets in my garden. I would definitely try encouraging hedgehogs if you have any as they are effective weapon against the slugs.
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18/07/2012 12:31 PM
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- Julie
- London
- 28 Apr 2009
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410
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Bob Flowerdew uses scissors. I stamp on snails but that's too yucky for big slugs (as is cutting them in half) so I try to step on them under leaves (but this morning I found the ones I stepped on last night had crawled away). So my patio is often littered with smashed snails but I don't know if it bothers others in the slightest - probably not.
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18/07/2012 07:51 PM
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- Deb
- Somerset
- 18 Jul 2012
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96
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Love the idea of stringing them up but don't think that would work somehow.
We have had some success with the slug-pub idea; a small dish with some beer in placed in the ground close to the plants which are getting munched. In spite of the rain diluting the beer this worked for several days before needing to be refreshed. You might need a bigger dish for great big slugs.
It is also worth removing anything that could prove to be a good hiding place, such as empty pots, bits of wood or brick etc.
We did also use the nematode slug treatment some years ago and that worked well but was quite expensive.
I would definitely rather sacrifice a few plants than start using slug pellets.
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18/07/2012 10:07 PM
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I like the sound of using Hedgehogs. You could probably kill quite a few slugs with one blow.
I'm joking of course!
How do you encourage Hedgehogs though? I know dog food has something to do with them but I can't remember if it attracts them or kills them.
Thanks
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18/07/2012 10:11 PM
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Scissors! SCISSORS!!
I'm all for killing the little beasts in a horrible barbaric way but that's a bit too direct!
I prefer the idea of some kind of trap, seems more sporting somehow.
I can't use slug pellets as I have two chickens, who unfortunately only like snails but not slugs!!!
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19/07/2012 04:22 AM
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A patio with 40 or so slugs promenading each night sounds like joy for some lucky hedgehog. Snag is - hedgehogs, rather like ladybirds, are never there when you need them. In which case, don't mess about! Brush 'em up into a heap and shovel them into an old bucket half full of water with some bleach or salt added. The next day what's left can go down the grid!
Patrolling the garden/patio on a damp evening with a torch in one hand and a 3ft length of 2x2 in the other hand is an effective way of dealing with individuals at all times of the growing season and slug pellets need not be the standard metaldehyde. Growing Success make an excellent organic pellet based on ferrous sulphate and harmful only to slugs and snails. Most garden centres stock them - they're more expensive, naturally!
Good luck!
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19/07/2012 09:31 AM
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My hedgehogs do not stay in my garden all the time as they go from garden to garden. I never use slug pellets because it poisons them and when there are no hedgehogs your slug and snail numbers increase until you get a plague and all your plants get eaten. You could try leaving suitable nesting material such as twigs and leaf piles around your garden for them to use. They love hedges and conifers so if you don't have any conifers you should consider making a hedge for them or just simply planting conifers for them to use. They like sheltered places so creating undergrowths for
them to use is important. The slugs in your garden should attract them as they forage from garden to garden but it really depends whether they are moving through your garden and how much food they are able to find elsewhere. You can leave water and dog food out for them when there are not enough slugs for them to eat but remember other animals such as weasels and stray cats can also eat the food. If they don't eat the food then it is not good idea to leave it there and so you should remove it. You will not see them during the day as they are nocturnal. I often see them past mid-night so if you can see any in your garden during the night or early morning then that's a good sign that they are eating the slug pests.
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19/07/2012 09:30 PM
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- Snark
- Suffolk
- 12 Jan 2011
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266
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Slugs only form about 10 -20 % of a hedgehog diet.They mainly eat all those beetles and worms which we are supposed to treasure. At least one wildlife rescue centre wont let you take a hedgehog if you say you want it for slug control as slugs carry the lungworms which are responsible for a lot of hedgehog mortality. Dont get me wrong ,I really like hedgehogs and do a fair bit of hog rescue myself. I'm probably just jealous because we have a high badger population which means that I cant get hedgehogs established here. So back to the non metaldehyde slug bait and jumping on the b.....s!Will i have any non perforated spuds this year ? In previous years I have tried the nematodes and found them useless, presumably as it is too dry here normally. This year they might have worked but I fear that it is now too late
For the Snark was a boojum you see
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19/07/2012 10:26 PM
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What are Nematoads? I can't begin to imagine what I haven't heard of in the garden that would eat slugs. Are they more effective than jumping on them? I'm banned from over aggressing too hard since slipping on a slug I'd tried to squash!
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20/07/2012 03:25 AM
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Arthur...go to www.nemasysinfo.com and read all about 'em! Nematodes, that is.
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21/07/2012 03:09 PM
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Leave dog food out in your garden, there's a very good chance you'll be raising the rat population.
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21/07/2012 07:55 PM
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- nickrory
- UK south coast
- 20 Jul 2012
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5
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I have had most success with using an organic slug killer pellet from B and Q from slug shining which is going out every night when its dark after 10pm with 1 rubber glove a torch and a bucket and just collecting them up row them across the river and let them go in the field. This year there have been a lot of slugs and snails and this method seems to work better than any I have tried even with my neighbor throwing them into our garden by the bucket it still works. (I don't think they know about our cctv HaHa wait till they get the best of compilation video) My lettuce and spinach are 90% untouched, hostas are 100% untouched. The only down side is it is hassle but I will say worth it. I have also found beer traps work well but they again have a down side they get very very smelly and its a waste of beer I used to think that one day I will find a drunk asleep in the veg patch with dry slugs round his mouth after hes had a good night drinking the slug traps dry..
But slug shinning is the best method, when shinning also check the lawn as I was astounded by the shear number on the lawn.
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22/07/2012 08:54 AM
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Rowing them across a river is the most fun suggestion yet, they'd have quite a walk to get back (do you call it walking.? I've goggled it but can't find a clear answer. I know with snails you say they have. 'foot' so I suppose they must walk).
Unfortunately I don't have a river or a boat so this won't work for me.
I did once find a drunk tramp in my garden but I don't think beer traps were the cause!
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13/09/2012 09:43 AM
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hi, I have lost count of the number of times I have seen my hedgehogs and slugs sharing the cat food bowl I leave out for the hedgies!
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