Salty Slugs

[Two_Sheds]

Well, I've been out every night this week with a tub of salt, because the ground has been crawling with slugs and snails - big ones, little ones ...

Word had obviously got round of my murderous habits, because I opened up the guinea pig hutch this morning, and found 2 girls snuggled up in the litter tray with a big fat brown slug. All lined up, 3 in a bed!

I was too disgusted to think to take a photo

[lynda66]

lol, see if you'd dressed some chooks up as guinea pigs ...... they'd have eaten it

[rustylady]

I've given up on sprinkling salt. Fill a small bucket with salty water, don Marigolds, and go round picking up slugs and snails and dropping them in the bucket. Known at my house as slug soup.

[rustylady]

I'm having to make slug soup again. Loads of them - on the lawn, in the bird food tray, in the guineapig hutch - b***** everywhere, so out comes the bucket of salty water and round I go. Stick the bucket on the patio for ten minutes while I make a cuppa, and when I go back they are crawling up the sides of the bucket. Figured wasn't enough salt, so I put some more in and scooped the slugs back into the mix with a trowel. No escapees as yet

[Alice]

Jings, are slugs more prevalent in some parts of the country than others.
I see the odd one and very little damage. Anyone else have little problem from slugs / snails.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I have very little slug damage on anything at the Hill, but the courtyard garden here at home (where I raise all my seedlings) is overrun.

[PaulG]

Up until Saturday we had not seen sign of a single slug in our garden nor any damage that could be attributed to them, went for a checkup Sunday to find holes and tracks across my runners, then went in to the gh and found a trail up a tomato plant but no damage, however next to the tomato plant one of my chili plants has had its stem eaten through completely about 4 inches below the growing tip, the plant had just split and had its first 8 buds coming through. Will have to be a lot more vigilant now.

[Shadylane]

We get a few down t'lottment, a little nibbling here and there but at home it's horrendous. Beer traps don't seem to be even making a dent.

[OverWyreGrower]

They love my polytunnel

Am resorting to late night escapades in the dark with a bucket of salty water....

[shoreham_steve]

I've posted this before somewhere but here goes again:
When I go on a slug/snail hunt, I collect them into an ice cream tub which I continue to fill until dustman's day when I tip the contents into a bag and put them in the bin.
My logic is that if they survive as far as the landfill site, they'll be as happy as pigs in the proverbial brown stuff ! Saves on salt too.

[Shadylane]

I am pathetic - I can't do anything which directly kills them - slug traps is as close as I get - my logic is that they're the ones that crawl in there and get drunk and drown, I'm not forcing them, and at least they die happy. Although I have flung a few over the fence (at the allotment not next doors garden )- not sure if flinging them would cause death. I even feel guilty squishing aphids. It's ridiculous.

[helanuels]

I like to keep an old tub of salty water... Ohhhh the satisfaction when I plop one in and it realises that it shouldn't have messed with me.... well, I imagine thats what its thinking...
I use boiling water and about two tablespoons of salt to 300ml of water. Thing is, I had only had smallish slugs before so when I plopped in a HUGE one he got out again (I say he... well, ya know!?) so I plopped him back in and got the bag of salt and poured it on him until he stopped moving.
I feel this is much more efficient than when I shouted at the one that ate the root of my tom plant .
Oh how people laughed

P.s, beer traps seem to work as well, that is, unless your dad kicks them over and forgets to mention it.

[rana]

Stab them in the back with a small knife, they almost explode.

[helanuels]

Stab them in the back with a small knife, they almost explode.

I hate the big black ones with orange edges... I might stab those ones.

[Sonata]

But then you have to clean the knife!

I've lost my first two chillis to them and quite a few seedlings now. They've also almost completely destroyed my brocolli seedlings so I have sworn vengence. I go around with The Bucket of Death - I get a trowel, pick up slugs and sprinkle them with bicarb or salt. Doesn't take much.

Got one last night IN my first butternut squash flower. I was v cross.

I went to buy some beer for traps today but got confused between bitter, lager and beer. Had to ask a helper chap. So have some cheap and cheerful stuff to drown 'em in.

I declare WAR (on slugs)!