Slug Eggs & Salt

I recently pulled up some old boards in the yard and found slug eggs. For those of you who aren't familiar with slug eggs, they are a little smaller than a b-b, and translucent white. They are in clusters. It is difficult to squash them, since they pop between your fingers or stick to your garden gloves...besides, it's pretty labor intensive.

I decided to pour salt on them and watch the results. Salt on the slugs turned them immediately fluorescent green and then to goo. However, the slug eggs seemed to be staying intact. I left them for about a half hour, then came back to check the results.... the salt was melting, but the eggs looked unharmed!

I think any eggs exposed to the frost will perish, but I'd rather not take the chance. Does anyone know of something that I can spray or pour over slug eggs to kill them?

them i just expose them to the elements and let them dry out and any slug i find gets mashed this is the biggest one that i have found in ages
http://davesgarden.com/t/363123/

Well, Troy, with the weather I'm having, they'll never dry out! It's like monsoon season here. This is unusual weather in Alaska. If salt won't destroy the eggs, I doubt that the weather will do it. I don't want to spend hours squishing them one by one, and I don't want to assume that the coming freeze will do it... they certainly are tough little eggs.

Funny, those guys could get me believing they were left over from a small hail storm ~ lol... Sorry, I don't have any ideas on how to rid them. Gets me thinking about the longevity we as humans have vs. species like cockroaches, fleas, slugs, you know what I mean....

Yes, nature seems to take good care of these slimy little fellows. I think it is interesting that the slugs melt in salt, but the eggs don't. I checked the exposed eggs on the board yesterday, and they don't look the worse for wear. The deluge of rain has washed all the salt off, and they look like little pearls. Who'd think these little beauties could be eating my garden next year!

take a pot of hot water out and put them in with a bit of cream and sugar mmmmm tapioca

Yes, Troy... you may have an idea there! I wonder if there is a market for slug caviar!

if there is i,m going to stop smushing them and start growing things they like to eat and give them LOTS of SAFE places to hide

Yes, I'll bet your yard would be littered with old rotting wet boards and flat rocks!

Do you burn trash? If so scrape them onto a piece of cardboard ant toss into the fire. Unless of course you don't want the board and prefer to burn it also.

Zanymuse: We don't burn trash here... just haul it to the landfill. However, I'd be happy to burn these little babies, but it's so wet I don't think I could keep a match lit! Maybe I'll borrow the hubby's propane torch and see if they pop like Jiffy Pop!

ROTFLOL! Now that would bring satisfaction if they popped!

No no Weez! Don't burn them - send them here - I could probably charge a fortune - not tapioca, but SUSHI!!!!

;)

Lophophora,

What's the nutritional value of a slug egg?

Found a bundle of slug eggs the other day so we tipped them onto the concrete and applied the heavy boot method.

"...What's the nutritional value of a slug egg? "

African or European?

Alaskan

Cheater.

(I'm not gonna say "I don't know that" and go flying off into a yawning chasm, so don't even try.)

Cheater.

This message was edited Friday, Nov 1st 3:54 PM

Ooooooh that's fighting talk.....



This message was edited Friday, Nov 1st 4:06 PM

Sorry I missed this thread lately. You know, I can see that these little eggs could probably be edible. They certainly are beautiful. Of course, I prefer them flat under my boot, as well, Baa. The problem is that they are so resilient that they just sort of bounce off anything I try to kill them with. Finally, after watching three days of rain merely wash the salt off these eggs without injury, I gathered them up carefully and placed them in a coffee can. Dennis has offered to add diesel fuel and torch them for me when I'm through collecting.

I have this oath that I will let no slug go unscathed, so I've been on my hands and knees with a trowel scooping up any suspect rocks or soil. I've never seen this many eggs. I think it is due to our extremely warm weather for this time of year. All those maternal little slugs are procreating like crazy!

maybe try a bit of vinegar in your coffee can and pickle the little buggers

I don't know, Troy, if I add salt and vinegar, it will surely pickle the little guys, and a sprig of dill might just make them tolerable.

I wonder if they could be sold as fish bait?

As much trouble as I was having squishing those little things with my finger, I'd love to see somebody try to string them on a hook, Zany!

LOL might be the perfect gag gift then for visiting fishermen ;~)

I think maybe if you salt AROUND them and protect the salt, when they hatch out they will be destroyed. Just a thought. I hate the slimy things, YUCK!

Janiejoy: Ain't no way to keep salt around anything here in the fall, winter, and spring. If it's not snowing, it's raining. I think they are destroyed by freezing... that's why the slugs lay their eggs under rocks, wood, cardboard, etc... protection from the frost and freeze. I just don't want to take the chance. I've made a vow to kill every slug I see, including eggs, even if I have to stop everything I'm doing and squish a few. Every slug that lives is potentially thousands more.

Just a quick message from the one who does the lawn work in our (Troy's and my) yard... NO. There will NOT be rotting boards and flat rocks all over the yard to "domesticate" the eggs of something completely useless and slimy that may or may not be edible. My guess is, no, you can't eat them. This is one money-making scheme that will NOT happen here in this yard! I think I'd rather take my chances on finding a group or two by accident when mowing, planting and such, but, no, Troy, we will not be having a slug-farm. Besides, the dog needs his spaces, too!
Brian

This is a medium-sized slug caught crossing the front sidewalk. I have seen them (literally) twice this size, and this is a baby one compared to the banana slugs I have been finding the past couple years. Sorry, no photo of those yet.

Weez, all my slug eggs are completely destroyed when I put them in my leaf grinder along with the leaves. All the mechanical action seems to kill them (at least, none have ever survived to hatch).

These little guys seem to live everywhere, don't they?. I finally got a coffee can and put the discovered eggs in there. My DH is going to put some diesel fuel in there and torch it! I wish I could have shredded my leaves this year... at least some of them, but it was just too wet.

Couldn't resist...

ROCL GW! There are always a few innocents who can't bear to hurt any living thing.

Anyone who wants to start a slug sanctuary, I will contribute all the innocents free! No need to send postage! All you have to do is to create a perfect haven for them. That means: plenty of broad-leaf plants (lettuce, cabbage, hosta, hollyhock, and bergenias preferred). Lots of mulch to hide under during the heat. At least an inch of rain per week (water from irrigation not OK). High humidity (natural or artificial). Absolutely no birds or ground mammals permitted. Plan on receiving 1,000 slugs per week, 40 weeks per year.