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I have been putting any slugs I have found in my compost bin (from the council), is this a good idea ?? or is it going to cause problems with my compost later??

I would think that your compost will become full of slug eggs and slugs. You don't want to spread the eggs around your vegetables. That would be dreadful. Throw them in a bucket of salt and water instead.

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Thanks, I did wonder about the eggs, I have only put a few in there, I will destroy them from now on.

Thanks for the advice

From walking on Saturday evening in the rain, the little darlings range far and wide, so how did you get them to stay in the bin?

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Well Peter the bin does have a lid on it, (one of those green plastic jobs) they would have to burrow quite deep to get out

Tiggs, slugs live in the soil , they quite happily burrow through it, that is how they can munch your spuds in the ground. A compost bin will not hold them unless it is an air-tight one, and as pointed out by others they would just breed like billy-o in there.

I found a six inch long bright orange monstrosity oozing its way along the middle of the road on Saturday and my walk was punctuated by a crunching sound as I strode along in the dark, snails out mating in the rain. They will be resurgent now it has rained.

Check this http://www.nomoreslugs.com/about/species.php out you may find it helpful.

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lol Peter I had realised they live in the soil I was just unsure as to how much damage I would be doing by putting them in my compost bin, normally I don't have a great problem with slugs and snails on my vegetable beds, although I found over 80 snails living in my rather large passionflower a few years ago

The problem is I don't have the heart to kill them

don't put slugs in your compost bin!!!

I did this a few years ago as I read a tip in a wee book that told me to do just that as they would happily munch through the contents of your bin rather than the veg on your plot.

But they fill your compost with eggs and then those hatch and create more slugs and then you've got tons of compost that you can't use.

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I only put in about 10, I wont put any more in and if I see them in the compost bin I will remove them.

Slugs and snails give me the willies! I can't even bear to stand on them never mind picking them up! What am I going to do - it is ridiculous as I slaughter my own hens and have no compunction in putting down a wild animal if it is in pain and would not be able to return to the wild! How can I be such a wimp over slimy things

Arm yourself with a pair of scissors and a head torch and go out at night on a slug patrol and just cut the blighters in half...that's what I do and I love it! I used to feel really really guilty and go to bed worrying about the mass slaughter I had just commited but soon enough you realise that if you leave them to their own devices you end up with no food for your table and so the guilt subsides.

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Ugh - just the thought turns my tummy! Will try though, but anyone who has ever seen me put my hand on a slug or snail by accident falls about with laughter at my reaction! I just can't help it!!

you could always wear a pair of marigolds!

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I find secateurs work really well on slugs. They are sharp and just one snip splits them open!!

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You are all revolting taking so much pleasure in being so mean!

hmmm not too sure about using scissors on them lol I think I will just bag them up and pop them in the bin.

I do use slug pellets in my coldframe though after they decided to munch on a few cucumbers I had growing. Seems to have worked and I can just put the pellets on the gravel and not my plants

It's good for the soul and keeps you sane!

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It's war out there! They are NOT eating my vegetables that I have taken months to grow.

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I collect them in a plastic bag & put them in the dustbin so that I can say I've not killed them it's the dustmen! Besides some might survive the crusher & live to eat there way through heaps of landfill! Be careful not to use a bag with lots of airholes in it though or they will wriggle out & you get a nasty shock when you open the bin.

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If you are happy with letting your hens out they are supposed to love a nice slug salad! I don't know if you could train them like retrievers? Just a thought....

I sometimes find snails on the side of pots and knock them off with a stick into the hen run - it's like world war III in there as the hens go for them in a big way!

OMG!!! just had a look in the compost bin, armed with my secateurs!!! managed to find 5 and disposed of them, squashing one with my welly boot wasn't very sucessful as it just got squished in my tread!!! lol

Since I don't keep hens I'm lucky to have a fox prowling the place. He spends the night feasting on slugs and snails and does no damage that I can see.

I thought they were fine in compost bins. This is info I got with my bin.

Your compost bin is a great feeding ground for slugs and snails as they help to break down your compost. Many people take advantage of this by putting them in the compost bin. This way you know exactly where they are and because you are regularly feeding them, they have no reason to leave your bin and munch your lettuces. They will keep moving up the bin to get to the fresh material, eventually dying of old age in your heap, fat and happy! It is unlikely that any slug eggs laid will survive whilst in the bin as they will either be predated on or decompose as they become compressed within the heap. Ensure that all of your compost is fully decomposed before using it on your garden.

well I can speak from experience as I put slugs in my bin and my comspost was infested with slug eggs. I thought the high temperature would kill them.