Bloody Immigrants

Thanks Tizliz, I knew they were dangerous for them to eat but I didn't realise they can pick the lungworm up so easily from slime trails.

...anyone know an easy way to get slug slime off a hedgehog dish?

When HFW tried cooking them, he got a great pan full of slime, yuk.

Do slugs and snails create the same slime? <ponders>..

Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall in River Cottage, tried to make them edible but failed.

KL, thanks for letting me know they taste disgusting, I knew someone would have tried them.

Lyndylou you are right, slugs can be dangerous to dogs:

The lungworm, also known as French heartworm, is a parasite carried by slugs and snails that infects dogs and can prove deadly. Dogs can become infected by eating slugs and snails or from a slime trail on grass or a toy or when drinking from puddles and outdoor water bowls.

GA, that is disgusting!!

When my DP takes the dog out into the garden last thing at night, they go with a torch and several dog poo bags. He usually collects 2 or 3 bags full of slugs and snails and he just seals them up and puts them in the bin. We seem to have mainly big black slugs up here in Yorkshire, I've not seen many green ones.

I don't favour the salt method as it leaves bodies and, although the dog has stopped eating absolutely everything it sees now it's turned 1 year old, I believe slugs are still quite dangerous to dogs.

What I don't understand is that I have a pot full of dahlias flowering without a problem, but the one spare dahlia I popped in a another pot of cannas next to it, has been shredded. I'm leaving it as a sacrifice to the great slug god at the moment.

Do they taste of banana ?

Uuurgh! I couldn't resist it - I googled banana slugs and this is what they look like!

Hi GandTea have just seen on other thread where you are, as I am same area, can confirm annual Spanish flamenco convention is going well, the b......... are everywhere, wriggling up my new apple tree as I speak, shall be sorting out their castanets shortly

WE have hundreds of frogs (OK, I've not actually counted them), a few hedgehogs and plenty of blackbirds etc. None of them seem to eat them, or if they do, not enough.

Yes, ( muses)? How on earth do they know they taste bitter? I suppose they have offered them to hedgehogs, and seen them turn their little noses up.

Jud, If you think I am going to waste the Black Stuff on slugs, you need to get to know me better. My local pub has promised me some beer next time he cleans his pipes.

Rose, Hedgehogs apparently won't eat them, they taste bitter (who the hell tasted them I shudder to think)

I have now decided that both my nest boxes have Tree Bumble bees, fascinating to watch them.

Stansgran.....can you describe it for us? on the other hand, maybe not.
we used to have slugs squeezing through our back door (wooden) to get at a plate of cat biscuits, this problem was only fixed By changing the door to a man made material.

Please please do not post any more pictures?
I met a banana slug in a rainforest near Seattle and have never really recovered. Gardening equivalent of something nasty in the woodshed.

I should have said slugs shouldn't I? (Sun on head too much on golf course yesterday)

I haven't yet got the Spanish variety, but there are plenty of black ones in my garden. Sometimes, one (or more) manage to get under a very close-fitting door and leave slug trails on the doormat in my kitchen but I can never find them! Tried putting copper tape along the threshold but this didn't serve as the deterrent it was claimed to be.

I've only just caught up with this and I think its a really good thread nice to have something that's fun but informative but what I would like to know is what's wrong with my garden- not good enough for them eh!! But I've got is the British Snail Navy (they like living in the water butt) - perhaps they are massing ready to assault the Spanish Armada of snails.

Can I encourage you to maintain the Irish attack methods GandTea and use Guinness to deal with your vile visitors. They just love the black stuff, but can't hold their drink. Die in their droves!

OMG I have just realised I used the b work.

So....report me ?

We have just returned home tonight from 'foreign parts' and done the usual garden inspection and am pleased that all looks pretty good.
Haven't yet seen any of these new varieties of slugs or many at all in our new garden, thank goodness. I used to put salt on them I'm afraid but that is as nothing to what Dh does. He wears his big wellies and treads on them in such a way that their brains blow out through their bottoms!
I just wonder if he has it the right way round sometimes as it is a bit hard to tell.

We need more hedgehogs!

Something repulsive about slugs, shudder, especially the huge yellowy ones.