Slugs, coffee and the EU

[bazzaboy]

Thought this might be of interest..... And a good joke by Mr Flowerdew.
No coffee for slugs - Gardening - Property - The Independent

[veggiechicken]

Thanks baz! The bit that intrigued me was the Malacologist (nice new word to chuck into the conversation) saying that he puts slugs into his freezer to kill them Just hope he marks them with a use by date

[CaroltheCarrot]

Hehe, giving the aphids a wash, I like it

[lulubell]

Omg what will they come up with next!!!

Veggie chicken lol at your comment xx

[Florence Fennel]

he puts slugs into his freezer to kill them

It's to kill them humanely, me, I cut 'em in half I suppose you could eat the coffee flavoured ones.

[lottie dolly]

Work that one out,do we need a licence to,own salt as it not only used in food,but good for slugs and weeds,and your egg shells,are they on the dangerous list yet,this should be on the joke thread,washing aphids indeed,smuggles a laugh.
The peeps that make up these so called rules,one wonders if they ever gave any concideration about how the food they eat,or are they prepared to go hungry,plus england is expectet to feed the world,nexy week will be something else to think about,

[zazen999]

Good job mine is only put down to add organic material to the thick clay I inherited, eh?

Anyway - it's not the caffiene that kills slugs, as most of it has gone when you put used coffee grounds down, it's the granular surface they don't like. Yet again, people going off half c0cked and not understanding what they are talking about.

[Florence Fennel]

It's just easier for the EU to put a blanket ban on everything rather than having to do some work to give detailed lists of things that are potentially dangerous. I call it idle and sluggish

[Bigmallly]

Must remember when next laying a beer trap, it's cos they're going on the razzle.

[The Goatreich]

I take if from this thread that the things you can get to sprinkle around your plants to deter slugs don't work then. The type that doesn't kill the slugs but apparently they can't cross as it's too dry, but is safe for your soil, pets and children?

I've used it in the past on my chillies and it seemed to work. I was hoping to use this as a dry moat around my raised beds to protect my crops. Failing that I'll just use coffee grounds as people seem to suggest, s*d the EU busybodies

[bearded bloke]

Makes me wonder if we should send Huge Furry Wartybum a copy of the link,& highlight ..........

Dr Stuart Bailey, a malacologist (an expert in molluscs), said he would not recommend this.

He warned: "There is a slight risk of parasite infection from eating slugs, and there have been a few recorded cases in Japan of people contracting very nasty illnesses after eating them. The problem is that slugs like to feast on animal faeces, which is why you can get parasites from them.

[veggiechicken]

It's to kill them humanely, me, I cut 'em in half I suppose you could eat the coffee flavoured ones.

Here you are, coffee flavoured slugs (with nuts!) - can be deep frozen!

[hamamelis]

It's just easier for the EU to put a blanket ban on everything rather than having to do some work to give detailed lists of things that are potentially dangerous. I call it idle and sluggish

Well, if you think about it, that way new chemical treatments are banned until deemed safe, rather than legal until proven dangerous. I'm not going to argue with that approach, even if I'm not exactly sure about their safety standards- it's still better than spraying with everything! I guess no-one's prepared to pay for tests on coffee grounds, as there's no money in it.

[veggiechicken]

I've been testing coffee grounds all my life - so far I've survived - although it does seem to have leached all the colour out of my hair

[Glutton4...]

I've been testing coffee grounds all my life - so far I've survived - although it does seem to have leached all the colour out of my hair

PMSL!

I have also spend a lifetime testing same. It causes weight gain, too!