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Curlyben
Jul 8, 2007, 02:11 PM
Well guys, it's that time of year again when CBW forces me into the garden to tidy it up.
You know the usual stuff, cut the lawn, hack the bushes and generally "do the gardening".
How as you may of seen on the news recently the UK has been having a lot more rain than normal, so everything is particularly wet underfoot.

So today I'd finished cutting the lawn and we had a heavy shower.
A couple of hours later, after it had stopped, I went to feed the rabbit and found upwards of a dozen slugs in his run.
Also on the path there where a coupld of dozen more.
Ranging in size of an inch to some serious monsters.

So what can be done to eradicate this menance?

We already use pellets around the plants that we want, but the sheer number and size of these beast is daunting.

colbtech
Jul 9, 2007, 03:08 AM
Well, you could try a shotgun, but I suspect that 1 - it's a tad overkill and 2 - might pee off the neighbours. Personally I would lay steel plate everywhere and electrify it. This also has the advantage of deterring any ne'er do wells!

Failing that I was told salt! Or I found this... Bug the Slug Links (http://www.cat.org.uk/ihateslugs/bugtheslug.tmpl?startat=21&endat=30&cart=326311175140053&subdir=catpubs&key=NP)

snross98
Jul 25, 2007, 10:13 AM
Try pouring some beer in a plate and set it on the ground where the slugs seem to be most prevalent. They are attracted to the beer and the alcohol kills them by osmosis through the skin.

biggsie
Jul 25, 2007, 10:29 AM
Did Google search "kill slugs", tons of home remedy solutions

kill slugs - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kill+slugs&btnG=Google+Search)

rankrank55
Jul 25, 2007, 10:48 AM
Snross, the beer in a bowl thing works great for killing off those slugs! The drunken, dead slugs do look pretty nasty but a least they are gone. Keep in mind though that slugs do come out after rains when it is moist so you probably don't have what you would call a slug "problem."

Curlyben
Jul 25, 2007, 10:51 AM
Well as the UK is having some "wet" weather (now there's a shocker) at the moment we have A lot of slugs.

I did think about the beer, but there isn't ONE place they are rather everywhere.
Hmmm I may just spread pellets over a wider area and hope for the best.

Cheers guys.

rankrank55
Jul 25, 2007, 10:55 AM
Try pellets and beer!

Curlyben
Jul 25, 2007, 10:56 AM
Pellets yes, but I have better uses for beer ;)

rankrank55
Jul 25, 2007, 10:59 AM
Yeah save up the little bit of flat beer left in the bottom of the can; you'll have enough in no time! ;)

Emland
Jul 26, 2007, 01:34 PM
So, are the slugs sloshed, yet?

Curlyben
Jul 26, 2007, 01:36 PM
I have found another route.
I have put down a bunch of carots that are on the turn and sprinkled them with pellets.
Now the carrots attract the beasts and they eat both carrot and pellet.
So far so good, but where are the bodies?

Emland
Jul 26, 2007, 01:38 PM
Maybe they go back in the ground and die - if it isn't an instant kind of poison.

alkalineangel
Jul 26, 2007, 01:45 PM
If the beer fails, I always found blow torches are helpful... ;)

coni303
Jul 26, 2007, 02:12 PM
Well guys, it's that time of year again when CBW forces me into the garden to tidy it up.
You know the usual stuff, cut the lawn, hack the bushes and generally "do the gardening".
How as you may of seen on the news recently the UK has been having a lot more rain than normal, so everything is particularly wet underfoot.

So today I'd finished cutting the lawn and we had a heavy shower.
A couple of hours later, after it had stopped, I went to feed the rabbit and found upwards of a dozen slugs in his run.
Also on the path there where a coupld of dozen more.
Ranging in size of an inch to some serious monsters.

So what can be done to eradicate this menance ??

We already use pellets around the plants that we want, but the sheer number and size of these beast is daunting.
It has been my experience (and I'm a biology professor) that you have to find where the slugs are coming from. Pellets, etc, don't work. Usually it is a really moist place. Under the house is a good place; also ivy or ground covers provide moist places for slugs. Eliminate the moisture and you will eliminate the slugs. It will take a little time though. Hope this helps.

J_9
Jul 26, 2007, 02:22 PM
Kind of hard to eliminate the moisture where Ben is from right now.

Curlyben
Jul 26, 2007, 02:28 PM
J are you saying it's a bit wet ;)

J_9
Jul 26, 2007, 02:28 PM
Only slightly King, Ben, can you send some my way!!

Curlyben
Jul 26, 2007, 02:30 PM
Yeah sure you can have a days worth, should keep you going MONTHS!!

J_9
Jul 26, 2007, 02:31 PM
Hell, I'll take anything I can get. I hate this heat and dryness. LOL

ss4gilpin
Jul 26, 2007, 02:53 PM
Well what you could do is put a few sprinkles of salt where you think the slugs are coming from it will kill them they bread very quickly but be careful because the salt can stop the plants from growing where its places some be careful where you put it

rankrank55
Jul 26, 2007, 09:46 PM
Yeah salting them works but that means yeah got to go slug hunting... arrgh

Treeny
Aug 30, 2007, 02:52 PM
We used to pour salt on them and watch them dissolve!
Then again we did a lot of weird stuff for fun when we were kids!