Beer traps for slugs, a poll.

[organic]

Hi folks,

I've just got a half plot and while planning to go all-organic I'm certainly not averse to a bit of death and carnage. Apart from the predators I hope to attract on by providing habitat, I'm going to be putting out some slug traps.

I know most things say to use "beer" - but that's a broad word. What kind of beer is best? (It's a given that I'll only be using cheap muck - I'm far too keen on my ale to go wasting the good stuff on slugs - even if it is their last drink!

Alternatively, if you get better luck with cider, some sort of yeast solution (I seem to recall reading something about a yeast liquid of some sort being good) or something else entirely do say so. As long as it's organic, effective and something I can put on my compost heap (which I started today) it'll do.

Cheers!

[Two_Sheds]

I don't use beer traps any more, because they kill beetles and other good guys as well as slugs.

If you do use them, put a stick in each so the beetles can climb out

[SarzWix]

I don't use them because I hate the smell of stale alcohol more than I hate the slugs.
I use 'organic' slug pellets.

[piskieinboots]

I don't use them either

I was told (at Hort College) that whilst they do kill slugs, the smell also attracts slugs, so you will end up with tons and it'll be like Happy Hour on a Friday night in your garden

I have a council recycle bin for some of my garden waste (small garden, not enough composting area!) so I lob 'em in there and off they trundle to the recycle place to become compost, they go quickly and happily, I believe, because I put some green stuff in the bin to keep 'em happy and then they are cooked on gas mark 1000000 - so full tum and quick

[pdblake]

Waste perfectly good beer on slugs?

I use pellets, well covered and sparingly if I get plagued. Otherwise I just pick 'em up as I find them and chuck 'em to the chooks, though only if they're live and wriggling.

[OllieMartin]

You didn't include Bollinger Grande Année 1999

It's the only thing my slugs will drink!

[smallblueplanet]

We used plain (live) yoghurt in ours, watered down. In an old marg tub we put a couple of tablespoons and filled up with water - a stick to help non-slimey things escape too. I read somewhere its the yeast in the beer that attracts the slugs etc. It seemed to work, but wasn't fun to empty.

[bluemoon]

I'm afraid I do use beer traps, but just use the dregs of whatever our sons have left in the bottom of bottles to go flat.
The best slug trap though is a pile of comfrey. If you're going to be organic then you'll certainly want a comfrey patch for the wonderful fertilizer it produces, but if you put a pile of it (freshly cut) near vulnerable crops the slugs will eat it in preference and will hide under it during the day, then all you need to do is check underneath and remove them. After a week or so the comfrey will be a bit past it, so you just chuck it in the compost and still get all the goodness from it. Brilliant stuff! Just make sure you buy the Bocking 14 type otherwise you'll end up with it everywhere.

[organic]

Firstly, I have absolutely no intention of wasting a single drop of good beer on slugs. All the good beer I buy will be drunk by me, my friends and family. For the slugs it'll be the cheapest muck I can get my hands on, possibly even just slops from the local!

I'll be sure to use a stick escape-route if I go with liquid traps.

I'm not keen to use slug pellets as I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they can also harm/kill some beneficial beasties too. The "organic" slug pellets (assuming they are the ones I'm thinking of) have some pretty nasty gear in them, and I'm not quite sure how they ended up labelled as "organic".


Suzie - I've heard similar things. I figure there will be slugs around anyway, and I'd planned on putting them around the edges of my plot, hopefully trapping most of them before they make it as far as my crops. I've still not made my mind up fully though, so we'll see.

At the moment I tend to go for the "throw them as far as possible into the fenced-off woodland next to the allotments" approach, but I don't have crops in just now so that will change.


Bluemoon - now that is a suggestion I like the sound of!
I'd half planned on growing comfrey to use as fert anyway so that could well be a good option.
I've got no idea what blocking type 14 means, but I'm heading to a nursery for my first time at the weekend, I'm sure I'll get some half decent advice up there.


smallblueplanet - I'd heard something about yeast before too. I think it might have been some branded liquid for putting into some company's slug traps.


OllieMartin - Brilliant! I've never heard of slugs with such expensive tastes. Seeing things drinking themselves to death on expensive champagne would be a real flashback to my days as a cocktail bartender ("mixologist") in a trendy bar in Manchester!

[smallblueplanet]

Bluemoon - now that is a suggestion I like the sound of!
I'd half planned on growing comfrey to use as fert anyway so that could well be a good option.
I've got no idea what bocking type 14 means, but I'm heading to a nursery for my first time at the weekend, I'm sure I'll get some half decent advice up there...

Here you go, I found this leaflet on comfrey (there's also an HDRA (as was) one on their shop site)...

Sourcing, Planting and the First Year.

There are a number of varieties of comfrey, both cultivated and wild. The most commonly available and best for the gardener is Bocking 14.
When L D Hills was developing comfrey in the 1950’s he produced a number of variants (Bocking 4, 15 etc). These differed in such things as vitamin content etc. Bocking 14 has become the standard. Although it produces flowers, it does not set seed, which is important. Comfrey is difficult to eradicate and plants popping up everywhere would not be an advantage!

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetabl...ey/comfrey.PDF

[organic]

Thanks for that, Manda.

It's always nice when you're expecting to need to go rooting around for info and someone pops up with a handy quote and link like that. Cheers.

[rustylady]

No way would I waste good beer on slugs. Leftovers maybe. Sorry, but I feed them little blue smarties.

[bubblewrap]

I wouldn't waste good beer on slugs my frogs deal with any slugs.
Tried Carling Black Label once but even the slugs gave that a wide berth.

[SarzWix]

The "organic" slug pellets (assuming they are the ones I'm thinking of) have some pretty nasty gear in them, and I'm not quite sure how they ended up labelled as "organic".

They're made of ferric phosphate, which is a naturally occurring mineral. The slugs/snails eat them, and then disappear underground/back to their hidey-hole and die, so other creatures are less likely to eat them. They are approved for organic farming under EEC Directive 2092/91...

I'm sure there are objections to them somewhere, but, they sell them in the Organic Gardening catalogue and that'll do for me.

[organic]

I don't think I can blame slugs for avoiding Carling. Muck!

I've not seen any frogs on my plot yet, though I suppose there could be some. I don't think I've really got the space for a pond and creating habitat for amphibians though... nor if the site will actually allow it.


Sarah. I'll see if I can find what I read about them (shouldn't be too hard now you've mentioned the active chemical). Personally I wouldn't take EEC directives as gospel, but Garden Organic do have a pretty glowing reputation so maybe there is something to it.
I hope I didn't come off as being on the attack when I said the bit you quoted. Text can be a bit awkward sometimes.