Slugs...aaargh

mrbadexample

alanobrien

Charlie34 wrote: »

Can anyone please give me some advice about dealing with slugs on vegetable patches? Has anyone tried a perimeter defence using crushed eggshells? I've heard that a barrier made of copper is effective too, is this true?

Charlie

Copper works well as long as it isnt oxidised. By that i mean it needs to be shiny so it has to be rubbed down regularly with sandpaper or similar.

louise_1981

fwoodles wrote: »

Any idea how you can stop them coming into the house?
I'm getting tiny slugs in my living room - on the carpet and up the walls.
No idea where they're coming in from though I'm guessing the air brick at the front - so I probably shouldn't block that up..

I *hate* slugs

I have them climbing up the sink, so I put salt down there followed by bleach. try fining where they are coming in at and coveing it in salt.

I am over run with them at the minute. the beer traps did work but not in the numbers I have wanted it to. So I am trying to reduce the numbers now, then I am hoping next year I will just have to do 'maintainence' using the organic ways.

louise_1981

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Encourage a variety of wildlife, and no pest will take over. Birds will eat slugs and snails. My hens loved to peck slugs and snails to death. The ones they wouldn't touch (big orangey striped ones) are, apparently, carnivorous, so good to have.

Penny. x

Problem with this is that all the neighbours cats end up in my garden. Not good for the resident birdys and if I bought a table it would go walkies, probably in the same direction as my spade I would rather that they went bird catching elsewhere

grannybroon

Sorry, but the birds here do not eat slugs. I go out on daily patrol and slugs and snails end rather in a nasty fashion! Ie under the foot!

You can get plants from the garden cenre to deter cats (can't remember name but took them to DD last Spring and it did the trick along with DSIL and the water pistol!!!) They had a problem with cats pooing in the garden and have two young children. This year not a problem as I think cats realised there was a deterrrent last year which has discouraged them.

GB

mapcr77

After trying with the hair, coffee, egg shells, bran, garlic, beer and yeast traps, etc., and getting tired of seeing my crops and flowers literally vanish overnight, I gave the pellets a go... I never thought I'd feel so thrilled to see dead slugs all over my garden!! I removed them this morning though, I dont want birds or my cat to get near them just in case...

louise_1981

I though this was quite amusing

http://www.naturenet.net/articles/organic/june98.html

completely describes my situation!

jjudy

Charlie34 wrote: »

Can anyone please give me some advice about dealing with slugs on vegetable patches? Has anyone tried a perimeter defence using crushed eggshells? I've heard that a barrier made of copper is effective too, is this true?

Charlie

hi charlie, I also give the slugs a beer party in the evenings, :beer: I also put salt round the plants, it apparently burns the slugs and they don't like it, so go elsewhere . . . allegedly!! (should take care not to get it on the plants though)

I'm_so_skint_it_hurts!

Monty did a trial on this on last years GW. I think that the copper bands came out top. The garlic granules you can buy are rubbish so don't even bother with them. As someone said earlier the best way is to try and introduce wildlife into the garden, toads, hedgehogs and birds all love to feast on the little blighters, obviosly if they are getting into the house this may not be such a good idea!!!!

nodwah

Somewhere else on GFMS it was recommended to put pennies round plants and I've tried them round my courgettes with great success. I did a small experiment with my squash plants of oats round one, eggshells round another and pennies round the third - and the pennies won outright, the other two plants are completely gone.
I confess to using slug pellets round my ornamental plants tho!