If slugs and snails drink salty water or salty beer, will it or can it kill them?

[Nick Blair]

If slugs and snails drink salty water or salty beer, will it or can it kill them?

I noticed that slugs and snails can still survive salt attacks if they are wet.

[Flummery]

They tend to drown in the beer, rather than drink it I think. (Do they REALLY get out 3 times for a wee though?)
I'm not sure that they would be tempted to drink salty water. I wouldn't/

[Nick Blair]

I have watched a snail drink beer from the trap without falling in, its neck seemed to become abour 5times longer! I was amazed but also angry.

I thought maybe if I put salt in it may be able to kill the things if they don't fall in but some of them seem to very resilient.

The Snail also climed on top of the trap lid which is about 5 inches high just by making its neck become 5 times longer again. The snail was not very large and only normal size too.

[JennyGiraffe]

My experiment with homemade beer traps last year seemed to mainly involve watching the slugs climb in, wallow in the beer for a while and then climb out the otherside and continue along their merry way!!! Not a success.

Have just been reading about using roofing felt as a deterrent though and might give that a go this time...

[Nick Blair]

I am useing copper tape too and some of them managed to get through as well. But they seemed to be dead, maybe from the heat; it was a very hot day when I found them dead in pots. Normally I don't find them in the day.

I have found that salt works well, I have put loads of salt at the bottom of the green house. But I am still not 100% snail and slug free, which is what I dream of.

Copper tape isn't cheap when you need a lot of it too.

[rustylady]

I am still not 100% snail and slug free, which is what I dream of.

Ah - the impossible dream!!!!!

[JennyGiraffe]

I did copper tape last year as well, put it round all the pots that were getting absolutely slaughtered, and it didn't do a thing, they just slithered straight over it. Perhaps my slugs were trained by the SAS or something!!
Have lost one of the sunflowers to them this morning I notice.

[Nick Blair]

The copper tapes seem to make them do less damage but are not enough on their own in my experience.

It seems that they would rather get food than get an electric shock sometimes.

[JennyGiraffe]

They're certainly determined!

[Two_Sheds]

I noticed that slugs and snails can still survive salt attacks if they are wet.

The salt dehydrates them: the wet rehydrates them. A teaspoon of salt per slug on a dry evening does the job.

Bear in mind that salt kills plants too though

[Llamas]

Also beware the slime. OH and I had a salt spree one evening after a rain and went to bed satisfied of a victory over the little buggers. On the way out the next night, we nearly died slipping and sliding in the little slime pools - this stuff does NOT come off skin, cothes or shoe soles. They'd gotten revenge.

[Steve Valentine]

My mother was evil, she used to collect all the slugs in a bowl, cover them and then microwave them.

They never came back to eat her marigolds though

[snakeshack]

I like to hand pick them and put on a paving slab with a circl of salt round them then its either the birds or he salt that gets them MWahahahahah

[falkon]

I have a weed burner and a salty water bucket, so when i see a slug, i either pick it up and throw it in the salty water bucket or take my burner and burn them all.

[robynn1351]

sustainable ways to get rid of snails and slugs

Hello,

I have a hobby gardening site and have nine natural ways to get rid of garden snails and slugs which may interest you. There are photos and simple instructions for each solution.

Garden Snails

There are many different tips and some work better than others depending on your climate and the design of your garden to name just a couple. At this time of year you will need to have some clever ways to stop snails.

I really don't like commercial baits as they can cause death and / or illness in other innocent pets, birds and animals.

Please have a look and choose from the nine options and try to eliminate them in a sustainable way.

Kind regards
Robyn
(Gardener and Permaculturist)