Slugs and how to send them to heaven

50Twuncle

DKLS wrote: »

My friend who had three huge polytunnels used to swear by chucking a duck in the tunnels overnight, they would munch all the slugs.
My current garden is plagued by snails, I find a old badminton racquet a useful and entertaining method of disposal.

Geese are better (though noisier)
Doesn't that make a mess - as you get hit in the face by snail innards ?
And anyway - why not sell the snails to the French ?

pendragon_arther

My noisy neighbour loves snails so I'm quite obliging.

tealady

I had a situation where all the slugs mysteriously disappeared from my garden, then came home late one ight and found a huge fat hedgehog pottering about.
Re snails, I believe some birds eat them, leave a large flat stone out for the birds to use as an anvil. Much more environmentally friendly

silverwhistle

jovie wrote: »

We make beer traps out of plastic bottles cut in half and half buried in the borders, then buy cheap supermarket beer/lager.

I've got a collection of those tubs from the supermarket delicatessen counter in which they sell olives etc which I'm going to make into traps. A bit shallower and easy to half bury: holes in the side, beer, then put the lid back on, which on wet nights (when the slugs are busy) keeps the tubs from filling up.

Biggles

50Twuncle wrote: »

It looks as if I will be using nematodes again !!
They do reduce the numbers of slugs and snails for a good three years - because they kill them all the first year and it takes time for them to repopulate the area...

Really? They recommend repeating the dose every six weeks, which makes it exceedingly expensive.

I've gone for slug pellets, the modern ones are pretty harmless (except to slugs).

50Twuncle

Biggles wrote: »

Really? They recommend repeating the dose every six weeks, which makes it exceedingly expensive.

I've gone for slug pellets, the modern ones are pretty harmless (except to slugs).

About 10 years ago - I did a one-off cull using nematodes - which did noticeably reduce numbers for the next 3 years - I cannot prove this, but the plants were less chewed and less of the small white slugs ended up on the lawn in the mornings

theGrinch

dunk them in soapy water on regular patrols.

50Twuncle

theGrinch wrote: »

dunk them in soapy water on regular patrols.

But you have to pick them up to do this
You may as well skewer them with a nail on a stick

REEN

I pick them up with one of those long-handled grabber thingies. It slides them off the leaves nicely and even reaches the snails that climb up my apple tree.

moneyistooshorttomention

tealady wrote: »

I had a situation where all the slugs mysteriously disappeared from my garden, then came home late one ight and found a huge fat hedgehog pottering about.
Re snails, I believe some birds eat them, leave a large flat stone out for the birds to use as an anvil. Much more environmentally friendly

Do hedgehogs eat anything we wouldn't like them to eat? - eg our plants.

Assuming they don't - I am now wondering whats the best way to attract a hedgehog to take up residence here (not even sure if there are any remotely nearby).