Slugs in my compost?

I just took some compost out of the bottom of my bin to use in the soil I'm putting my tomato babies in. While I was taking a short break, I saw a lot of slugs crawling out of the compost. Is that normal?

I can't put those in the dirt I'm putting my tomatoes in, can I? How do I get rid of them?

Well, I'll take a guess. Is your compost too wet? I know slugs like moisture so you might need to turn your compost a little more to distribute the moisture evenly. Also, the best way to get rid of slugs is to put a shallow dish (I use plastic plates) filled with beer. The slugs will drink themselves to death and then you can just throw the whole thing away. Yuck!

Melanie

Some slugs in the compost won't hurt. They will go after decaying items as well as your favourite flowers!
Are there lots of them, and are they in the middle of the pile or on the edges?
I screen my compost, so i can see what's in there.
Also look for slug eggs - those lovely little pearls...

They must be in the middle of the pile 'cus I didn't see them until after they started crawling out of the compost several minutes later.

Slug eggs? Eeeeewwwww! :(( I don't even want to go there.