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Slugs: How to get rid of them?

Washing powder, preferably of the cheap aggressive non-organic type. Nothing remains of them, it reminds me the mafia method used for bothersome humans.

Pretty radical if somewhat cruel. Although not much worse than the beer can method. And this smells I tell you.
 
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Copperjacket said:
Wrap the drain pie with bare copper wire.
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I've put copper rings (stripped t&e) round plants for some years; doesn't seem to be that effective. Followed a tip from this parish to fill jars with either jam. vinegar or whatever, with water, and they'll just dive in with a smug slug grin and drown. Marginal success only.

I've been on nocturnal slug hunts for donkey's years, originally using that big Canadian torch as a cosh, then using a hammer, then a knife etc. but I have now refined it to the most effective slug demise ever. I simply cut them in half using scissors. Many many hundreds went to their happy slugging grounds earlier this year. I took great delight when I found slugs copulating (which was not rare) because I was wiping out a future generation!

Okay, sorry Tony; this was in my garden and your problem is inside, strange though that sounds. It also exposes me as a brutal mass murderer. :(:)
 
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If indoors, put out trays of dry bran. The slugs eat this, it swells inside them as it soaks up the water, they die. Cats won't eat bran, and if the dogs do it's just going to make them more regular. Cheap. organic, pet safe.
 
stevec67 said:
If indoors, put out trays of dry bran. The slugs eat this, it swells inside them as it soaks up the water, they die. Cats won't eat bran, and if the dogs do it's just going to make them more regular. Cheap. organic, pet safe.
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Thanks Steve, just normal bran?
 
Something I've been trying recently around seedlings in pots is surrounding the stem with pine cones, usually 3 in a triangle. As long as there are no spaces between the ends of the cones it has totally kept slugs at bay, albeit during a spate of rather warm and dry weather. Much easier than eggshells, which I find are are only good until the first watering, that disturbs them too much.

I wish this had occurred to me before I'd just had a mahoosive cedar cut down that had been dropping cones for 8 years. Still, so many got volleyed into the corner of the garden that I've got a quite a stash back there.
 
Mike Reed said:
I've put copper rings (stripped t&e) round plants for some years; doesn't seem to be that effective. Followed a tip from this parish to fill jars with either jam. vinegar or whatever, with water, and they'll just dive in with a smug slug grin and drown. Marginal success only.

I've been on nocturnal slug hunts for donkey's years, originally using that big Canadian torch as a cosh, then using a hammer, then a knife etc. but I have now refined it to the most effective slug demise ever. I simply cut them in half using scissors. Many many hundreds went to their happy slugging grounds earlier this year. I took great delight when I found slugs copulating (which was not rare) because I was wiping out a future generation!

Okay, sorry Tony; this was in my garden and your problem is inside, strange though that sounds. It also exposes me as a brutal mass murderer. :(:)
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When we had them in plague proportions in our town garden, that’s exactly what I did. Grim, but very effective if you stick at it.
 
I put down loads of table salt all around the sink last night, filled the sink with water and filled a basin with water to stop them getting up through the plug hole which had a stopper in it, no sign of them this morning but curiously I spotted a massive bit of slime around a brick on one of the steps in the garden:eek:
 
This stuff is on the shelf in every garden supply store here in the leafy green northwest US:

corrys.jpg


Been around for years. Modern formulations use ferric sodium EDTA, a "broad-spectrum molluscicide", as the active ingredient. Supposed to be mammal friendly. Plus, the box just makes me laugh.
 
Pete MB&D said:
Salt lots of salt, we had the same thing happen the cat was fed in the garage and the slugs appeared at night.

Salt lines across their trailes did the trick.

Pete
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This worked for us.
Traced the trails back to the entry point and spread salt as a barrier.
Keep checking and top up as necessary.

Andy
 
I'll book-end this thread by mentioning the dangers of certain slug-pellets.

Some, not all, but some, contain Metaldehyde. Who knew?

This stuff is extremely toxic to cats and dogs, and slugs obviously.

If they ingest it, then without immediate treatment they will die a fairly unpleasant death.

One of my whippets ate some slug-pellets, (or a slug containing slug pellets). She rapidly started convulsing/fitting/shaking/overheating.
She was stabilised by a local vet, then a blue-light dash to the pet clinic for emergency treatment.
She did recover, but we were initially told to expect the worst.

I would never have thought slug-pellets could be that dangerous, but there you go.

Just be aware of the dangers if anyone is planning to use this stuff, and if your animals do ingest it, then you need to get to a an animal clinic ASAP. A local vet won't be able to deal with it.
 
Mike Reed said:
And birds? Very tricky, using poisons to kill slugs. I did use a few old (' the slug buries itself before dying' type) pellets in the greenhouse but I was happy when they ran out.
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Still ok I think. It targets hemocyanin, which isn't a thing for red-blooded critters.
 
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