Slug Despair! Any advice welcome!

[emily84]

Get a pond! Frogs breed in ponds and eat slugs......simples!

I am in the process of planning a pond, got my container sorted just need to get it waterproofed, planted and filled Hopeful that as I live so close to the park the frogs will come flooding in and feast on my plentiful supply of big fat slugs!

[Madasafish]

We have a small pond with frogs and that has reduced the number of slugs from lots of 10cm ones crawling over the lawn to lots of big ones on the vegetable patch - further away from the pool but adjacent to the 20 acre field full of marsh and snails and slugs.

In other words, there is NO way I could eliminate slugs and snails form our garden as there are millions next door, just waiting to invade.

So it is blue pellets .. Do they affect other wildlife? Not that I can see..

I have tried everything. Nothing has a lasting effect..So kill them off and throw the eggs to the robin when I dig them up...

[jemma_charlie]

my methods keep my population down, round up the neighbourhood children, give them all a wooden kebab stick, set them free in the garden, the child with the most slugs gets a chocolate bar.
Another favourite method is seeing who can throw the most onto the roof.

Either way the slugs get reduced, the kids have fun and the birds get fed.

:-)

[binley100]

my methods keep my population down, round up the neighbourhood children, give them all a wooden kebab stick, set them free in the garden, the child with the most slugs gets a chocolate bar.
Another favourite method is seeing who can throw the most onto the roof.

Either way the slugs get reduced, the kids have fun and the birds get fed.

:-)

Nice one. Trouble is a lot of kids round here would rather shoot them with a BB gun .

[jemma_charlie]

Nice one. Trouble is a lot of kids round here would rather shoot them with a BB gun .

I think ours are not far off that, they do seem to enjoy making slug kebabs lots. When they have finished my garden they go and knock on the neighbours to do theirs lol

[Two_Sheds]

So it is blue pellets .. Do they affect other wildlife? Not that I can see..

yes they do. I have seen hedgehogs that have eaten poisoned slugs. They blow up like a football, it's horrible, absolutely hideous.

VPIS have recorded increased numbers of poisonings due to metaldehyde slug pellets over the last five years — 33 cases (4 fatalities) in 1996, rising to 96 cases (7 fatalities) in 2001.
In 2000, 136 cases...of poisoning were attributed to slug pellets....most of the reported fatalities have been dogs and cats but reported cases also include one hedgehog, one deer, a donkey and a horse.

Most wildlife dead bodies are never found (except roadkill) so the incidents could be very much higher

If you use pellets, you must use them sparingly, not make heaps of them. Ideally you should place them inside a pipe or something that hedgehogs etc can't get into. They actually attract slugs, so you don't have to worry about the slugs finding them.

[janeyo]

If you have any friends with chickens you could save them up in a bucket (with a lid so they don't escape) and give them a pressie, they love them

[emily84]

my methods keep my population down, round up the neighbourhood children, give them all a wooden kebab stick, set them free in the garden, the child with the most slugs gets a chocolate bar.
Another favourite method is seeing who can throw the most onto the roof.

Either way the slugs get reduced, the kids have fun and the birds get fed.

:-)

Fabulous!

[emily84]

yes they do. I have seen hedgehogs that have eaten poisoned slugs. They blow up like a football, it's horrible, absolutely hideous.

VPIS have recorded increased numbers of poisonings due to metaldehyde slug pellets over the last five years — 33 cases (4 fatalities) in 1996, rising to 96 cases (7 fatalities) in 2001.
In 2000, 136 cases...of poisoning were attributed to slug pellets....most of the reported fatalities have been dogs and cats but reported cases also include one hedgehog, one deer, a donkey and a horse.

Most wildlife dead bodies are never found (except roadkill) so the incidents could be very much higher

If you use pellets, you must use them sparingly, not make heaps of them. Ideally you should place them inside a pipe or something that hedgehogs etc can't get into. They actually attract slugs, so you don't have to worry about the slugs finding them.

Nasty, glad I didn't get them!

[emily84]

OK, so, the update is as follows....

Went to my GC yesterday, no go on the Nemaslug bug things

I did, however, find something else. Westland Slug Blocker.

I admit, we didn't have a huge amount of rain yest night, just some through the evening but WOW! I put some slug blocker round their 'favourite' plants and last nights trial seemed v good!

I went out 3 times from about 8.30 - 11pm and only saw 2 tiny slugs in my whole garden and neither of them were anywhere near the plants I blocked

Westland could be my new best friends, I'm v v v v happy!

Anyone else any experience with this stuff? Is it just a fluke?!

[emily84]

If you have any friends with chickens you could save them up in a bucket (with a lid so they don't escape) and give them a pressie, they love them

Hi Janeyo!

Thanks for the tip, unfortunatly I don't know anyone who has chucks

Hope to one day have some of my own though, i love the funny little guys!

[Pumpkin Becki]

Emily, Nemaslug has to be kept refridgerated until you are about to use it, and it has a short shelf life, so you won't find it at the GC. The best way to buy is online. I buy from Harrod Horticultural, and they do an offer where they send you packs at set intervals to give you the longest protection. (I think I buy 3 packs and I get sent them once every two months, if my memory serves me correctly).

[emily84]

Emily, Nemaslug has to be kept refridgerated until you are about to use it, and it has a short shelf life, so you won't find it at the GC. The best way to buy is online. I buy from Harrod Horticultural, and they do an offer where they send you packs at set intervals to give you the longest protection. (I think I buy 3 packs and I get sent them once every two months, if my memory serves me correctly).

Great, thanks Becki! That's a great idea that they send it in intervals like that, I shall keep that one in my favourites for future!

Do you have any experience or knowledge of the slug blocker at all?

[Pumpkin Becki]

No not heard of that one, who's it made by?

[emily84]

No not heard of that one, who's it made by?

It's made by Westland, it's a really thick gloopy slime which you put around anything you want protecting, it even sticks on vertical things like walls and pots. It's rainproof too, we had rain and hail yest but still all in place this morning!

Obviously i don't know what last night would have been like without it slug wise, but I was amazed to only find 2 all night; it's like it's repelling them from the whole garden!

Not 100% sure how it actually works, but so far I'm loving it