Homemade slug trap working! Beware, gruesome pic attached!

Interestingly hedgehogs don’t like slimy slugs, so scrape slime off with their little paws before scoffing them.

So all these beer traps and slug baits are killing the food supply for birds, hedgehogs etc. And I love thrushes. No wonder all these creatures are becoming endangered when we kill their food supply. 😥

There needs to be another way. Maybe cover the plants they are eating?

From Wildlife Trust.
Gardens are unnatural situations where many of us encourage plants that wouldn’t normally grow there, dig up those that want to grow there, make special efforts to encourage daffodils to flourish, mow the lawn to stop anything special growing too high and trim the hedgerows into unnatural straight lines. Slugs and snails positively thrive in these environments, particularly if we are growing salad plants and other tasty treats.

Slugs and snails are very important. They provide food for all sorts of mammals, bird, slow worms, earth worms, insects and they are part of the natural balance. Upset that balance by removing them and we can do a lot of harm.. Thrushes in particular thrive on them.

Sorry gardeners. Rewilding anyone? 😀

ordinarygirl

I go and pick the slugs off by hand and take them to the verge by the park.

All very well if you can bring yourself to touch the horrible things! I could manage snails, but slugs, no way!

How long is it okay to leave the same beer in the traps? The cheapest beer isn't very cheap nowadays! A white sort of froth (mould?) appears on top after a few days in mine. Will it still attract slugs and snails, or should I empty and put fresh in?

On disposing of the dead ones I put them on the compost heap usually.

I wish the scone advert wouldn’t pop up when I’m looking at this thread 😱

Just to say the rest of that beer has produced a second great ‘crop’ of revolting slimy corpses, which will be emptied into a dark corner of the garden once I’ve remembered to buy some more beer. 🙂

Hair - human and animal, is supposed to stop slugs.
You just pile up a thick layer around the plant.

NOT DOWN THE TOILET - just the 3 P's

I go and pick the slugs off by hand and take them to the verge by the park.

but surely you can put them on your compst heap when they're dead? I always do.

I found that works until it rains and washes out the smell. Coffee ground will also rot and enrich your soil/

I planted out some salad plants a few days ago, and so far, touch wood, they are surviving! It has been very sunny with no rain for a while, so maybe the slugs and snails aren't so active, but even after a bit of rain last night they are okay.

I put a thick layer of newly bought Strulch around them, beer traps between them, and put plastic bottle cloches over them for the first couple of days.

Fingers crossed...

I’m reading this whilst away on holiday and imagining the little blighters eating all my seedlings. Very worrying. My Dd collects the slugs and puts them in the freezer, she says this is the most humane as they’ll just go to sleep….

Beware of putting slugs down the loo.
If not dead they can CRAWL BACK OUT.....

Eeek...

Currently I'm finding that coffee grounds put around the French Marigolds & Cosmos are keeping them from being eaten. We have ground coffee every day; usually the used grounds are added to the compost. At present they're put into a bowl, and I spoon them around vulnerable plants. It's working so far....

Allex50

Don't be squeamish about these pests. Visit early morning or any time it's dark. Take a secateurs and cut them in half. Their mates will come along and gorge on them. I did this and have had far less problems due to local culling. Don't let the guard down though they will be back! Beer a good idea; you don't have to be a drinker, just buy the cheapest but if you cover some damp soil near a plant then you will find the sleeping beauty there next day. Also, other creatures nibble at plants including birds and beetles. Use netting until the plant is big enough to look after itself. Just about covers it I think?

Yuck, I don’t think I could bring myself to do that! I feel bad if I accidentally slice an earthworm while digging - not that I dig very often…

PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT USE SLUG PELLETS,,, hedgehog population in decline,, use other methods.

Sorry - pressed post before spell checking.
I
dislike
slow death

II didlike the thought of a slow dathe for slugs and snails (eg poison, salt dehydration, drowning in beer) I dispatch quickly with a psir of scissors.
Because of their caniblistic nature, I leave the remains where found as that attracts more slugs and snails (who also get dispatched)

A hosta fanatic friend recommends Wd40 sprayed around the pots they are in. She swears it works to keep hostas free of holes. Not sure how you would achieve this in the veg plot, unless you spray it on the egg shells?!!

I do remember reading that if you put out beer traps for slugs (which I have done in the past) you attract all the slugs from your neighbourhood to savour the beer [sad.] I now put copper
strips or mesh everywhere I possibly can.

I’ve had plague of ants coming inside house and in food cupboard ..have cleared everything and washed thoroughly not still finding them 😡😱has anyone else had this problem 🧐

If my kitchen is in darkness, I often find slugs on the floor or the more energetic ones sometimes make it to the worktops. I wrap then in kitchen paper squeeze and then deposit in the bin. Feel like a murderer but I loathe the beasts and don't know how they're getting in to the kitchen.

We had some 'slug traps' donated to us at our allotments - and we used them on the plot where we support some people with disabilities - they carefully put the traps into the soil, added some old beer and put the tops on - but next morning all the traps had been uprooted. We have badgers on our site and we think they enjoyed the beer! We are now trying 'wool pellets' round their Dahlias and they seem to be working