Nematodes

[Holly]

Hello all,

Does anyone have views on the pros and cons of using nematodes as pest control?







Your comments may be edited and published in the March issue of GYO

[chris]

I've not used them yet, so can't comment on the pros. The only cons that come to mind from me asking on here are:

1) The price - they're not exactly cheap. (i.e. as cheap as slug pellets for example).
2) The limited shelf life - however that said, the packets that you're given are adequate to allow seedlings to get a good amount of growth on before you need to re-apply (6 weeks off the top of my head). Nemaslug for example, which I plan on order next year treats up to 40m^2 - which would be ample for my garden. Allotment wise, I'm not sure of as I don't have one.

[Alison]

Pros - work well at killing slugs

Cons - cost a lot, take quite a long time to apply on the lottie and kill off the natural food of some preditors and therefore if you don't keep it up all your frogs etc may have gone elsewhere

[Aberdeenplotter]

My comments relate to slug nematodes only as I haven't used any of the others. I used them to start with simply because my ground was so heavily infested with keeled slugs that it was virtually impossible to grow late potatoes. I can testify to their effectiveness as I no longer have the problem. I only apply nematodes every three or four years now though because it is not an inexpensive remedy.

Using them does give me a bit of a dilemna. Is it any less cruel to have a slug eaten from the inside out to kill it than it is to use treatments containing metaldehyde? In the end, it was the fact that there was no possiblity of damaging other wildlife such as birds frogs/toads and hedgehogs with nematodes that swung it for me.

[northepaul]

I used the slug one last year, the autumn programme. It was very successful, we didnt really have any trouble with slugs, however I am not sure if thats cos of the namatodes or because we have some resident frogs!!
I wish they would bring out one for snails, cos we have loads of them everywhere.

The cons? Well mainly the cost, if we used them all the time, it would make growing our own very uneconomical indeed. Also storing them at the right temperature is fine ONCE their here, but what about when in transit?

[vicky]

Have used them in the past but I've found them very expensive, don't kill snails, don't work if it's too cold or too dry. If I had money to burn I'd probably use them but not otherwise!

[Bramble_killer]

we used it this year and they were wondrous! The cost was the only problem but we had potatoes that weren't lacework!

[iGrowVeg]

I have used the slug nemotodes quite a lot over the past few years and worked out the best time to apply is the end of April (just before the baby slugs start appearing above the soil). There is a potential problem in April, showers that could wash it away.

Although other people have mentioned the expense, I find it worth it's money as it does work and when I compare the amount spent on this to what I buy in seeds, it's really not that much and at least i will be eating most of the veg I grow (other pests pending!).

[crazii_c]

i grow most of my fruit and veg in containers and since loosing all my strawberry plants to the cursed vine weevil larvae i used nematodes for the first time. The con is the price i guess, but luckily as i was only using it on containers i only needed a small packet of them. i found them straight forward to use, but it was a bit of a pain keeping all the containers moist for the 2 weeks after applying. However the pro (and its a big pro) is that my crops dont get dessimated by the little blighters!!! so i will continue to use nematodes untill the pest is under control!

[BarleySugar]

I've used ones against slugs and vine weevils. I found the vine weevil ones more effective because they were applied to containers and watering was easy to control. My garden is quite heavy clay, which hinders the ability of the slug nematodes to move through the soil. This, combined with the need to wait for the appropriate temperature, and the need to keep the moisture content at the optimum level did mean they were not as effective as I would have liked. That said, I do think they made a difference, but the cost is a major factor when you know it is very difficult to provide the ideal conditions for success.

[oldie]

I have used bio-friend slug banish for the past two years and found it effective and much more economical than nematodes.

[northmaid]

I used vine weevil nematodes last year, part in containers and part on a specific area of the allotment plot.
As others have said the main downside was the cost, but when I set this against the value of the crops I was hoping to 'save' it didn't work out too bad. The short life of the nematodes can be off putting, you have to ensure you have the time to apply, and apply under the right conditions as to temperature and moisture in the soil. Then make sure the moisture levels are maintained for two weeks. This was easier with the containers than open ground. And to be most effective this has to be done twice in the year (May and September I seem to remember).
I found the treatment to be very effective in the containers and there seems to be some measure of success on open ground, but will know better when I get round to preparing that patch for planting this year.

[annacruachan]

I have used both vine weevil and slug nematodes this past year and found both very effective. However, I grow in fishboxes and pots so have no experience of using them on a large open area. The cost was acceptable given crops of strawberries, psb, broccoli and peas that were saved. I shall use the slug nematodes on salad stuff this year too.

[annacruachan]

I have used bio-friend slug banish for the past two years and found it effective and much more economical than nematodes.

Where do you get this, oldie? Is it available online?

[oldie]

Hi annacruachan here is the link; BioFriend Slug-Banish (400 square feet pack)