Mystery 'slime'on chopping boards

Surely, if it were slugs, the trails would be everywhere, not just on the chopping boards.

It does sound like slugs - I had the same trails that kept appearing overnight on a rug in my lounge. I decided to have a look in the middle of the night, and caught the slug red-handed! I threw it out, only for the blighter to find its way back in a few days later. When I caught it again I put it in the bin and never saw any trails again.

Hmm, Hetty, you do have a point; if it were slugs there would be trails on the worktops too.

Pour boiling water over the chopping boards and leave them soaking overnight.
I'd have thrown them in the bin.

Could you come down about midnight and check? Does sound like slugs. We had problems with them too but more near the cat food. Hate to say but I used salt and removed the cat food. I hate slugs!

It could well be slugs I live in an old house and occasionally find ‘part trails’ that seem to have no start and no end just a middle few inches but no trail to say a door or window so hetty slugs don’t leave a trail everywhere they go

Sprinkle salt on the worktop and chopping board. Slugs don't like salt one little bit.

Do slugs have any purpose in the grand scheme of things?

I know that wasps can be pollinators, but what exactly are slugs for?

We get great big, huge stripey ones in our recycling bags, poor Mr P gets quite traumatised!

Do slugs have any purpose in the grand scheme of things?

Apart from decimating plants, leaving slime trails everywhere and slithering inside your outdoor shoes, just waiting for you to shove your bare feet on to them? No, I don't think so Phoenix. Horrid things.

Slugs and snails are very important. They provide food for all sorts of mammals, birds, slow worms, earthworms, 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

Then we need more thrushes, slow worms, earthworms and anything else that will eat them BlueBelle!

Yep I agree can’t stand them but everything has a reason

It could be a rogue slug or a snail. They can get in the house on the bottom of garden clogs, wellies etc.
Last winter DH had a snail in his car that made trails all over the seats and drove him mad until he found it.
We guessed it had been brought into the car on his golf trolley.

I agree with Elaine, go down to the kitchen in the night and see if you can catch anything “in action”.

Put a few slug pellets in a shallow container near the chopping board at night.

Hire a hedgehog

Why not tidy them away at night.

We had one in our conservatory and came home after being away for a few days, we found snail trails all over. Windows, chairs, carpets. They’d had a whale (snail) of a time

We have the same problem, definitely slugs, I hate them, we have horrible big orange ones here in France. Like BlueBelle I live in an old house and find part trails in places. I once found a little one in the cutlery drawer, everything was disinfected and dishwashed within an inch of its life - yuk.

Do silverfish leave trails. They are more likely to be indoors and disappear in daylight.

My DiL2 has terrible trouble with them.

It could well be a slug; they vanish only to reappear the next night. I found one hiding underneath a close to the ground china cupboard. Try surrounding a chopping board with a ring of salt, but be prepared for an unpleasant jellified mess!

If it looks like a slimy slug trail, it almost certainly is. Yukkk!

Oh most definitely slug, get up at 1am and you will find it! I run a continuous battle, how many people put slug pellets under their microwave!! I suspect the airbrick outside might be the point of entry. They love Brillo pads too.

Once years ago when children were small I came down in the night for calpol or something and found ants marching all over the living room carpet. I was appalled. We never saw them in the daytime.