snails

the_optimist

I had them in my house last week. The first morning there was one tiny baby slug, we nearly didn't see it - aaah.
The next morning there were 3 baby slugs, same place.
The following morning 5 slightly bigger ones, again same place. I did find a hole in the wall which I closed OS style (toothpaste), since then it's been ok.
Hope I've got them all as last year we had two coming in the house and we didn't spot them until they were big. They lived behind the TV stand and left loads of slime :eek: it was disgusting to clean up

angelavdavis

Could they have been transported into the house in the soil of a plant that has been brought in from the garden? Slugs/snails lay eggs (they look like small pearls in the soil) and these are easily transported in potted plants?

As well as trying to detect where they are coming in, I would bait them with containers of beer. Not nice, but at least they will die happy!:rotfl:

Kaminari_2

Salt will do it. We had a big problem with slugs in our backyard when i was a kid. They'd get into the pet food bowls and slime them up. A sprinkle of salt solved to problem. They bubble like the wicked witch of the west with water.

Peartree

Now, and in the next few months, you can sometimes find places around the garden where some snails are overwintering. I've found big groups of them clustered under stacked pavement flags, at the bottom of fences, in all sorts of sheltered spots in the garden. My theory (I'll accept it if snail experts disagree) is that if you can wipe a whole pile of them out before they start breeding when the weather warms up you can prevent some problems for next year. I'm unashamedly non eco friendly when it comes to snails and slugs so go for pellets.

More than the occasional slug/snail indoors does, unfortunately suggest a problem with damp that needs dealing with. However, have you tried using slug pellets and simply circling the outside of the house near the walls, replacing the pellets when they wash away? You'd probably get a clue as where they were getting in then, from the trail of bodies (yuk).

lizzG

http://www.pesthelp.co.uk/weshop/Slugs___Snails.asp

just found this for you, hope it clearsup the snail problem for you.

failing that, find out where that could be coming from and put sand or crushed up egg shells around this area at night. they don't like the feel of that.

good luck. let us know how you get on.

GreyCat

I had the same problem at my last house. Controlled it by
a) tracking slime trails back to where they seem to be coming in and put down a salt barrier - seemed to cut down the invasion a bit
b) putting on nocturnal slug hunts (they come out when it's dark and quiet, and can't run very fast when you suddenly turn on the lights!) - helps if you have a non-squeamish family member to do the actual capture and disposal bit!

kethry

when my parents had a new large raised bed built (their garden is on a slope and they wanted the bed to make the garden a series of "steps") they needed soil to fill the bed. so they bought some. only the soil was absolutely chock full of snail eggs..

for years afterwards my mom would go out in the summer at dusk with her salt pot, snail hunting. it got to be quite the family joke, but it was the only way she could keep them under control (and yes, she tried the beer traps). we couldn't have any hostas or plants like that that snails love for about 10 years afterwards though.

so.. salt salt salt. Although the other poster was right. they do go all yeuch. so not inside.. maybe find where they're getting in and salt that?

keth
xx

tom_and_barbara_good

A while back I needed toppers for my canes to stop me poking my eyes out, in an emergency I used empty snail shells ( I have lots of them lying around) they stayed put and worked well so now they are all I ever use.

They also serve as a deterrant to other snails - they take one look at my trophies and scuttle away next door :rotfl:

Jayar

Wonderful - I love it. Sitting here laughing out loud - thank you

Errata

Wonder if the same method would work for cats !