Slugs/snails - how good is their sense of smell?

ceridwen

I've got one of those flat slug trap thingies - ie a lidded container with several little bowls to put lager in - and have duly had that out back "standing guard" against marauders for several days. To date - its "caught" precisely one snail.

Anyways - as my tiny little back garden is basically in two separate parts - do I need to get a second one of these slug traps (to put in the other part of the garden) - or will any "marauders" in the 2nd part of the garden smell the lager from where they are and come on over to "join the party". Just wondering what their "sniffing" range is:D

Gotta do what I can to make sure the little barstewards dont get one single "chomp" of my food ever again - as I have such limited capacity to grow any that there isnt any "spare capacity" to feed their stomachs as well as mine. So I'm doing "belt and braces" - the slug trap thing and copper tape around everything possible.

Jabberwock

Hi Ceridwen,

I'm not to sure of the science behind it but I was led to believe that it is the smell of yeast that attracts the little blighters. I always use the slops of beer left over from my OH's brewing barrel and it works a treat. The only thing I can suggest is to maybe chuck some grains of bakers or brewers yeast in with your lager to make it extra specially yeasty and in theory make it irresistible to them.
Hope this helps
Jabberwock

ceridwen

Thanks - off to investigate putting a bit of my dried yeast I use for breadmaking in with it:D