The Lemon Fool

I'm having a bit of trouble believing that there have never been any proper trials of non-chemical anti-slug techniques, but that's what it says in the BBC's report. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44357663. That's especially strange in the UK, which I believe has two thirds of the entire European slug population?

Is there any truth behind the belief that copper tape deters slugs, the report asks? You bet there is. We used to stick it around our cats' feeding bowls to stop the little varmints from getting into their nosh. That worked well until we got some super-sized slugs that could arch their backs widely enough to be able to get over the tape - and when that happened we put the cat food onto a small table and copper-taped the legs, and that was 100% successful.

I've used beer traps with success. What else works for you?

BJ

Decoy planting. Put a row of sacrificial plants that they prefer in front of the ones you want to grow.

They've been scoffing my baby radishes at at least one a night and increasing..... bah

Like the idea of copper legs on planters. Quick - patent it.

Out of interest... I wonder if they got an enormous research grant for that test.... because it would've been almighty clever of them if so.

bungeejumper wrote:I'm having a bit of trouble believing that there have never been any proper trials of non-chemical anti-slug techniques, but that's what it says in the BBC's report. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44357663. That's especially strange in the UK, which I believe has two thirds of the entire European slug population?

Is there any truth behind the belief that copper tape deters slugs, the report asks? You bet there is. We used to stick it around our cats' feeding bowls to stop the little varmints from getting into their nosh. That worked well until we got some super-sized slugs that could arch their backs widely enough to be able to get over the tape - and when that happened we put the cat food onto a small table and copper-taped the legs, and that was 100% successful.

I've used beer traps with success. What else works for you?

BJ

I use 2 Nematode treatments each year on my raised bed\veg plots and slug pellets in other parts of the garden.

http://nemaslug.co.uk/

RC

Construct a pond in your garden, and soon it should be populated by frogs. Goodbye slugs.

scotia wrote:Construct a pond in your garden, and soon it should be populated by frogs. Goodbye slugs.

Sigh, I wish we still had the hedgehogs coming into the garden. We see their poo on the lawn once or twice a season, but that isn't often enough. And we leave log piles and leaf cover for them in the bushes. LOL, maybe we should start putting out cat food for them? Full circle.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:
I've used beer traps with success.

What else works for you?

There's a free article in today's Telegraph regarding home remedies for slugs, with some good tips later in the article from various gardening experts -

Gardeners' home remedies for beating slugs and snails to be scientifically tested for the first time by RHS

How exactly does one get rid of the pesky slugs found munching away in the vegetable patch? Many gardeners have their own home remedies — but now, for the first time, popular deterrents will be put to the test by the Royal Horticultural Society.

The RHS is set to perform their first scientific experiment to determine which slug solution comes out on top.

Placing slugs on lettuce plants — a gastropod favourite — at its research facility at Wisley Gardens, the scientists will be testing copper tape (with serrated edge), sharp horticultural grit, pine bark mulch, wool pellets, egg shells and no treatment.

The plants will be tested weekly for signs of damage and, at the end of the experiment, all the lettuces will be harvested and weighed.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... tifically/

These types of Telegraph articles also have a user-comment section towards the bottom of the page, so it's always worth taking a look at those to see if there's anything new that you fancy giving a go.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Itsallaguess wrote:

Gardeners' home remedies for beating slugs and snails to be scientifically tested for the first time by RHS

That's odd, as there was already a two year RHS trial starting in 2014.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/plant-he ... management

and a year ago the RHS published...

The overall findings from year one of the research...

https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/science- ... llet-trial

More here...
https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/pu ... snails.pdf

Breelander wrote:

Itsallaguess wrote:

Gardeners' home remedies for beating slugs and snails to be scientifically tested for the first time by RHS

That's odd, ...

Not so very odd, as all of those links describe research about chemicals, biological or integrated methods rather than specifically about "home remedies". The last link does describe both research and home remedies, but there's little overlap between what it says about the two.

Gengulphus

Two copper strips on an insulated backing, about 3mm apart. Connect high voltage across strips.
No more slugs. Could be illegal though...

(obviously don't really do this, but just wondering if an electric fence-type solution with human-safe voltages/source impedance could work?)

I've stopped using beer traps: the dog doesn't seem to mind dead slugs in her beer.

A torch at night after taking the dog out: walk around the beds, picking any slugs and lobbing them into a bucket of water, which then gets thrown in the pond. Laborious and icky (wear gardening gloves).

The frogs are hopeless: I have no idea what they do with their time, other than jump in front of the lawnmower, but slug cuisine seems to have passed them by, judging by the slug traffic near the frogs.

Copper tape does work, but needs to be kept clear of any debris, otherwise the slugs use it like crack troops storming a bridgehead. We have a gravel bed in one part of the garden. It seems to be used as a training ground for would be alpine slugs before they attempt the assault on the wood pile and garden wall.

I'm tempted to start experimenting: surely there must be something I could grow that they'd like to eat that will turn them into a flavoursome snack? Then I could preserve them and sell (self-filling) jars to discerning diners?

Perhaps I should just be thankful they haven't worked out how to open the cat flap yet...

VRD

Perhaps I should just be thankful they haven't worked out how to open the cat flap yet...

They don't need to, they just hitch a ride on the cat's fur. Cat goes out and sits in garden contemplating the moon and mice, cat comes in and sits on rug or armchair or (my) bed contemplating asking for more dinner or coming and rolling on my keyboard, cat gets up and stalks off leaving a slug or two behind. When you've got three cats it can become an issue.

N.B. I took a cat to the vet for a small dental op last week. As I handed her over I said 'what's this in your fur' and pulled out a slug!

AleisterCrowley wrote:Two copper strips on an insulated backing, about 3mm apart. Connect high voltage across strips.
No more slugs. Could be illegal though...

(obviously don't really do this, but just wondering if an electric fence-type solution with human-safe voltages/source impedance could work?)

My dad did something like that with a sheet of polythene, some interlocking strips of Bacofoil (other brands are available) and some 9V batteries in series (or was it parallel?) to protect the fabric roof of his Rover P5 from the neighbour's cat. It trained the cat in 4 nights.

I would suggest that using it on slugs wouldn't be a problem, but it might hurt the local birds.

Slarti

to protect the fabric roof of his Rover P5 from the neighbour's cat.

I have a vague memory in my youth of a guy who electrified his car when parked to avoid the attentions of traffic wardens.

AleisterCrowley wrote:Two copper strips on an insulated backing, about 3mm apart. Connect high voltage across strips.
No more slugs. Could be illegal though...

(obviously don't really do this, but just wondering if an electric fence-type solution with human-safe voltages/source impedance could work?)

Yes, I've seen similar things on Youtube. After one particularly bad slug attack, during which I assume the slug equivalent of Glastonbury was held, I considered doing something to protect at least some of my plants. I did wonder whether it might be possible to take some mains cable and strip back just enough of the insulation to expose both conductors, but that's probably impractical. Rain induced short circuits would be a problem...

RC

I had a very enjoyable afternoon watching a thrush searching for slugs and snails and feeding them to her young. The slugs were easier but she seemed to particularly relish battering the hell out of the snails on a rock which was a few feet away from my foot. I was constructing a fruit cage for my strawberries at the time so I was moving around a small area quite a lot but she was totally unconcerned, as were her young. I loved it.

I also had an encounter with a fledgling robin who wouldn't leave me alone. It kept approaching me and begging for food. I tried to interest it in fat ball bits and rehydrated meal worms but it ignored them. I'm not sure it knew what food actually was. it picked up various inedible bits and pieces but ignored what I was offering. It was very persistent, it kept returning over a 3 hour period but never actually ate anything I offered. Obviously separated from it's parents, poor thing. There were a number of adult robins around but they all totally ignored it . I feel a bit guilty now but I don't know what else I could have done. At least it could fly .

vrdiver wrote:I've stopped using beer traps: the dog doesn't seem to mind dead slugs in her beer.
...
I'm tempted to start experimenting: surely there must be something I could grow that they'd like to eat that will turn them into a flavoursome snack? Then I could preserve them and sell (self-filling) jars to discerning diners?

Since beer clearly does the job, saving you from spending money on (dog) food and avoiding potential hassle about tax, food standards, etc, why bother looking for anything else? ;-)

Gengulphus

An update on the orphan robin in my last post.

I was in the garden hoeing today and the little one appeared and joined in. At times he was about 6 inches from the end of the hoe when I was working, at other times he sat on a low branch of a bush and waited for worms and bugs to be unearthed. He/she, still hasn't much idea of what is edible but overall enough food was eaten to ensure it will still be around tomorrow.

It looked in better condition than when last we met so it is managing to find enough to eat. I've got some maggots it can have if it appears tomorrow.

sg31 wrote:An update on the orphan robin in my last post.

I was in the garden hoeing today and the little one appeared and joined in. At times he was about 6 inches from the end of the hoe when I was working, at other times he sat on a low branch of a bush and waited for worms and bugs to be unearthed. He/she, still hasn't much idea of what is edible but overall enough food was eaten to ensure it will still be around tomorrow.

It looked in better condition than when last we met so it is managing to find enough to eat. I've got some maggots it can have if it appears tomorrow.

I've always been fascinated by the fact that robins have almost no fear of humans. Whenever I'm digging or weeding, there's always at least one robin just a few feet away. Jackdaws and crows are more wary but will happily ignore me if they are on the lawn and I walk past 3-4m away. But birds like magpies will zoom off immediately if they just see me at a window 10m away. And yet they quite brazenly sidle up behind a fox to peck its tail.

--kiloran

It's a pity some genesatist (sp ?) can't produce a slug/ snail breed that eats daisies / buttercups etc .
Plenty to go at in my lawn , it always looks like a meadow .
The slugs and snails home straight in on the bedding plants , favourite seems to be the white alyssum and petunias . They don't seem to like begonias or geraniums .

poundcoin wrote:It's a pity some genesatist (sp ?) can't produce a slug/ snail breed that eats daisies / buttercups etc .
Plenty to go at in my lawn , it always looks like a meadow.

And growing grass tips whilst they're at it - then I'd wake up each morning to a nicely manicured lawn