Slugs everywhere - HELP

[rustylady]

Been out in the garden past few evenings, tending to guineapigs, deadheading, picking up windfall apples etc, as you do, but suddenly noticed loads of slugs on the lawn!! Not on the apples, particularly, just everywhere - big fat juicy ones - I've been seasoning them with salt, but I don't know where they're coming from, or what they are eating. Anyone got any ideas as to why so many all of a sudden??

[Alice]

All the rain Rustylady. They just love damp conditions. And they are eating everything. I know we all hate using them (I only use if desperate and then with care) but there could be a case for the slug pellets now. All those big fat juicy ones will breed big fat juicy ones. This couuld be your chance to get the numbers down. But do pick up the slaughter and put them out of the way of birds etc. Or use the ones which don't harm other species - but I'm not sure how well they work.

[lynda66]

and then theres the fact that all the baby slugs will be hatching ...... i think i'd use the slug pellets too, but try and pick up the dead ones, in a few nights, you should be at least temporarily down to manageable proportions. (till the next wave of babies starts getting bigger)

[Two_Sheds]

We got lots of the big black ones on the pavements during the heavy rains last weekend. They each seemed to have a clutch of eggs on their rear end too.

I am doing my nightly patrol and salting quite a few each evening, although numbers are now diminishing.

I've had loads of enormous snails hiding under my weeds/cabbage netting. They're all now composting nicely.

I think the wet warm weather has produced a new generation.. have they all just hatched or something? I'm also noticing a huge number of ladybirds & Cabbage Whites at the same time.

[Two_Sheds]

Been out in the garden past few evenings, tending to guineapigs ... suddenly noticed loads of slugs on the lawn!!

please don't sprinkle slug pellets on the lawn.
the guinea pigs will eat them, and die a horrible death.

Salt is the way to go.

[rustylady]

please don't sprinkle slug pellets on the lawn.
the guinea pigs will eat them, and die a horrible death.

Salt is the way to go.

Don't panic TS I love the guinepigs too. Only salt on the lawn, little blue smarties on the borders only. BTW I don't think guineapigs eat slugs or blue smarties.

[Snadger]

Chooks love the big snails and slugs, they fight over them!

Pretty disgusting to watch them 'stretching' a giant slug between two of them until it's twice it's normal length then another chook comes and bites it in the middle so that there's a sudden explosion of slug guts!

[Bephlam]

I can't bring myself to kill a snail...after that advert that used to be on the TV. For the life of me I can't remember what it was for...but I recall the woman standing on a snail, and it's little companion snail stretched it's little head up to look at her, then back at it's dead snail friend! It was VERY sad!!!

So, I just toptoe over them...and hope they return the good deed by eating someone elses garden! I don't think it quite works like that, but I can hope!

[lynda66]

i'm like that with snails, they are actually quite cute, and yup i felt much more sorry for them after that advert too .... i always chucked them on the waste ground at the bottom of the garden, but cos you cant pick slugs up they get the salt treatment.

[Bephlam]

What was that advert for??

It certainly plays on my mind. I hate stepping on one if I'm running out to the car at night, or going to walk the dogs, etc. It makes me sad... I have considered just scooping them all up and throwing them over the wall in to the neighbours garden, but I think that's a bit 'bad news', so haven't done it....YET!!

I can't put salt on the snails...it freak me out. The guilt eats me alive when I try to sleep at night!!

[lynda66]

What was that advert for??

have no idea either, i searched on you tube but couldn't find it, i've never poured salt on a snail, yet i don't think twice about doing it to slugs, weird really.

[Bephlam]

Real effective advert that then, wasn't it? We remember the actual advert, but have NO IDEA what it was actually selling! lol Typical!

I'm not motivated by adverts at all...unless they are for food, then I'm right into the kitchen searching from something similar to eat! It's awful!

[rustylady]

I usually give the snails flying lessons, lobbing them over the fence into the lane. This morning, despite little blue pellets on the borders me and number one daughter picked up around 40 big fat brown slugs and turned them into slug soup in a bucket of salty water. They were on the lawn and some were in the process of laying eggs. Didn't feel as guilty over the slugs as I did when I accidentally stood on a snail and squished her plus the eggs she was about to lay - that was gruesome!!!!!!!

[Bephlam]

Nooo...slug soup!! That sounds disgusting!! I couldn't do it, seriously...the guilt would be overwhelming for me. I think I need help!!

Although, I did manage to kill something last night without as much as a second thought. My OH and I were lying in bed when the next thing my OH let out a scream...and in true fashion I hastily fleed the bed and bedroom...without hanging around to find out what was causing the clear terror!! Anyway, it turned out it was a HUGE spider (which at first I didn't believe) was on the bed, casually running along the duvet. I set out to find it, as my OH was threatening to sleep in the lounge , and after a huge search I found it...lying underneath the dog (sneaky, eh? using the dog for cover!). Well...it was the BIGGEST spider I have ever seen. I have been known to exaggerate on matters such as this, but seriosuly...it's body was easily the size of half my thumb, and it's leg span was the same as my fingers. I almost had a heart-attack on the spot...and used a HUGE candle to squash it to death!!!! DIE SPIDER, DIE!!!

Normally I catch them in a glass (whilst screaming) and throw them outside, but this was too big for my nervous system to deal with, so it had to die!!!

I slept, relatively well...but still keep jumping if my own hair even brushes my shoulders!!

[MaureenHall]

When my son was little, he was really disgusting (aren't a lot of little boys?). He showed his little sister how to make snails fizz - by pouring salt into the shells!!! Yes, he did get a telling off, but I do sometimes pour a line of salt on the path so that if they cross it, they die!