2014 Slug Hunting Thread

[PyreneesPlot]

Just back from my first hunt of the season. I'm a week later starting than last year but picked nearly twice as many - 449. And said good evening to one hedgehog.
Happy hunting :-)

[Jeanied]

I have just had to haul the dog back in - she has a fascination for snails and she loves to munch them much to my disgust as she brings them in onto the rug.

[AllInContainers]

I seem to have had less slugs around than this time last year thankfully - maybe as I was using pellets last year ...? I think I've only found about half a dozen so far. I'm still considering using nematodes this year, and my next door neighbour is interested in going halves on a 40 sqm pack (our garden's are 8m x 4m, but the area we will be treating is substantially less)

[Knight of Albion]

Not that many about thus far. But it's early days yet.

I don't believe in killing things or using poisons. What I do is go out at about 11 or 12 at night, with a torch and a plastic cup. I gather up any slugs I come across and then 'relocate' them to a shady, gladed area on the other side of my house where they can't do any harm.

[The poly tunnel poet]

Sorry useless information alert

I have just had to haul the dog back in - she has a fascination for snails and she loves to munch them much to my disgust as she brings them in onto the rug.

I wonder if that is the calcium in the shell that she likes? I am sure I have read somewhere snails like calcium (lime) rich soils to build their shells, and vertebrates eat snails and shells to obtain calcium for growing bones.....

[veggiechicken]

I have just had to haul the dog back in - she has a fascination for snails and she loves to munch them much to my disgust as she brings them in onto the rug.

Don't let Rosie eat any snails, Jeanie, because of lungworm
BBC News - Fast moving snails spread deadly dog disease across UK

[The poly tunnel poet]

Veggiechicken, Wow! What a very useful piece of information to know. I have to say I did not know about the snail danger to dogs, although I must admit I was not suggesting it become a staple and replace the usual food the dog was being fed(chuckles), more the curiosity as to why the dog ate the snails, suggesting perhaps, in search of calcium... But none the less, WOW,

Jeanie, make her spit them out! ..Some good has come from a curiosity..

[PyreneesPlot]

Well, my first week is done - total 1912.

Slugs and snails are the only things I (knowingly) kill in the garden and only from the veg garden and fruit cage. Given the number we have I suspect that if I didn't, eventually they'd eat the house

Any that I find whilst working in the garden go up to the compost bins with the weeds.

I have seen lots more glow worms this year than last, more newts and frogs (new pond), more blackbirds and about the same number of toads and hedgehogs.

Good info about snails and lung worm, too. Thanks for sharing.