Slugs in water butt!

emmilou

They get everywhere, even in my tightly sealed butt (no rude comments please :rotfl: )
we also noticed what looked like slug eggs in the water which is obviously a concern as we will water them straight into the plants :eek:
So anyone know is there a product you can put in water butts to kill the little beggers?

Jnelhams

Put a teaspoon of 'Jeyes fluid in the full water butt. No more than this or the water will hurt Lettuce and Fuschias.

This will also stop you getting Midges/Gnats in the water too.

G-G_4

emmilou wrote: »

They get everywhere, even in my tightly sealed butt (no rude comments please :rotfl: )

tee hee hee :rotfl:

ceridwen

I'm awaiting a water butt now - and hoping I dont get this same problem. So would also be glad of ideas - in my case I need it to be of the "natural" variety. Ta.

Lord_Gardener

Worth filtering water coming into the butt and out - piece of old tights (just tie them on and clean as and when) works well for both!

Larumbelle

One of the organic magazines suggested keeping a few small fish in your water butt. Not sure the fish would enjoy the lifestyle, but

magpie

Can anyone identify the three creatures in my water butt.
I soak horse maure in a water butt and use the diluted liquid as a fertilser. The water butt is uncovered.
Recently I have noticed 3 creatures swimming about in it. They are white, about half an inch long and an eighth of an inch wide, they have a long thin tail, no defined head at the moment and I'm not sure if they have any limbs startng to grow. I don't like to look that closely.
Any ideas anyone?

Tozer

Some sort of insect larvae - possibly crane fly. Nothing to worry about.

Davesnave

Once had some rat tailed maggots in mine. Lovely! Could they be what you have? Here's a link:

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/insects/2946-rat-tailed-maggot-eristalis.html

elsien

I've just decided never to look in my water butt again, on the grounds that what I don't know won't hurt me.

Smithills

I usually empty the water butt every so-often, and just chuck the whole lot on the compost heap- bit of sludgy dust, decaying leaves, water shrimps, wriggly things and other bits and pieces. There's not much in there that'll do anything any harm, And if you recycle it through your heap ,it's just as nature intended ;-)