Another slimy thread

After the rain last night I took the opportunity to go slug hunting this morning. I have some different "tools" I use for this but this morning I used a pair of tongs to pick them of the plants and drop them into soapy water. After setting the pan of water down I went back to find many of them slithering their way out of the pan. It seems the soapy water didn't even phase them. I know some people suggest Kerosene to drop their undesirable pest in but it's something I don't have on hand. Are there any suggestions as to what else I could use to drown the slimy guys in? Salted water? How about vinegar? What do you all use?

poppysue, I use beer... just put out at night in old aluminum pie pans, and they crawl in and die... In the mornings, I just empty the tins, and start again the next dry night.

No way I'm wasting a perfectly good beer on some slug! That *bud's for ME. LOL

i have read that it is not really the beer that they are going after, but the yeast. The article said that if you have some yeast, let it ferment and put it out for the slimers in a shallow plate. Lisa

My kingdom for more eggshells, I'm going up to the church and suggesting that they have an Independance day Bake sale, and would they kindly save all the eggshells for me. I have industrial strength slugs they are eating my Jalapeno pepper plants, they even managed to slip past the copper strips that my DH put on the inside, bottem of the RRties around our garden, eggshells are the only thing that works for me.

Two things that are working well for me right now:

#1 - putting sawdust down all around where I don't want them to be ........ the basil is staging a comeback!!

#2 - smiling at the garter snake that is seen everyday in one flower bed - and the smile yesterday was about seeing his mouth stuffed w/ "escargot sans shell" - good snake!!! This particular bed has seed dahlias, petunias, and wax begonias - all much sought after by the slugs. I had not yet gotten around to applying sawdust, and I won't as long as this snake is working so well.

That snake really has taken up residency there - I can't think of any other time where I could "count" on the presence of one of these benign reptiles.

One technique I have also used is to carry a spray bottle filled with a dilute ammonia solution on my early AM stroll through the garden. The ammonia has the same effect as salt - but for different reasons. AND - the small hit of nitrogen does not hurt the plants should there be some drift - in fact, for some and in some cases, it is beneficial to the plants, I suppose.

I like the industrial strength slugs..lol.
I also like the snake idea..lol. We did transplant some garter snakes around here so I hope they're doing the slug busting! The eggshells seem to be working for me but now I have a beetle problem starting..rats!
My kids are finding orange slugs..are these the young ones? I did find a monster slug, gosh..it must have been about 5 inches long. I couldn't kill the thing so I coaxed the kids to throw it to the chickens. If it ever stops raining here, I have to spray some homemade insecticial soap on the plants, with a punch of hot peppers and garlic.
Happy slug busting..lol.
Trish

Like Wannadanc I use ammonia. Only I don't do much diluting. Ducks love slugs for snacks.

Lightening bug larva eats slug eggs.

I toss the slimers into a container of either salt or wood ash, if i am hand picking. These items kinda melt them.

i use salt

I have resident garter snakes also...two that I know of. They do keep the hostas slug free, but they also eat toads, which is terribly upsetting. We enjoy the toads who enjoy our pond. You know it is spring when they begin trilling and mating. Kinda wondered why there were fewer this year, then discovered the snake eating one last week. Bummer. Slugs, snakes and toads. I suppose this is just nature at its finest!

use salt-water, they shrivel, heheheheee, h8 the things

lil