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Slugs - will manually removing them ever work?

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    #32
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    Guys I'm telling ye - get yourselves a frog pond! You'll never find yourself out at 2am on a wet night again. The frogs clean up snails and slugs like nothing else


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    #33
    ellejay
    Registered Users Posts: 1,254 ✭✭✭ellejay


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    Guys I'm telling ye - get yourselves a frog pond! You'll never find yourself out at 2am on a wet night again. The frogs clean up snails and slugs like nothing else

    Would a pond be suitable for an allotment?
    Do Frogs like to eat veg / potatoes / salads?


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    #34
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    ellejay wrote: »
    Would a pond be suitable for an allotment?
    Do Frogs like to eat veg / potatoes / salads?

    Pretty certain they're exclusively carnivorous; they definitely leave all my veg alone anyway!

    Would you be allowed to dig a pond at an allotment? Mind's just in my back garden see


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    #35
    gctest50
    Registered Users Posts: 9,605 ✭✭✭gctest50


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    Pretty certain they're exclusively carnivorous; they definitely leave all my veg alone anyway!

    carnivorous - yip

    oyTPpyL.jpg


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    #36
    ellejay
    Registered Users Posts: 1,254 ✭✭✭ellejay


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    Pretty certain they're exclusively carnivorous; they definitely leave all my veg alone anyway!

    Would you be allowed to dig a pond at an allotment? Mind's just in my back garden see

    I'll ask the owner if something they'd be interested in.
    They try to keep it as organic as possible


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    #37
    Sgt Pepper 64
    Registered Users Posts: 9,627 ✭✭✭Sgt Pepper 64


    redser7 wrote: »
    It's very effective. Dealing with slugs is more a matter of 'management' than 'solving'. Manually removing them if you don't mind it will keep them at bay. Try beer traps too. But there will always be more. There are key times to deal with them before they breed, September is a good time as they lay their eggs to over winter and get you in spring.


    plus one on beer traps. Plus put anything you have in pots on little stone legs you can buy or use bits of wood. Surprisingly effective and kept my hostas safe this year


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    #38
    Red Hare
    Registered Users Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Red Hare


    I agree with everyone beer traps are good. I tried nematodes last year - there was a lot less slugs compared with this year. For example my Dahlia's came up last year without any real slug damage but this year the slugs kept leveling the shoots to the ground. The beertraps were catching them but not them all!


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    #39
    Pat_Planky
    Registered Users Posts: 43 ✭Pat_Planky


    Red Hare wrote: »
    I agree with everyone beer traps are good. I tried nematodes last year - there was a lot less slugs compared with this year. For example my Dahlia's came up last year without any real slug damage but this year the slugs kept leveling the shoots to the ground. The beertraps were catching them but not them all!

    Hey Red Hare. How do you mean nematodes? Like little centipedes?


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    #40
    Red Hare
    Registered Users Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Red Hare


    Pat_Planky wrote: »
    Hey Red Hare. How do you mean nematodes? Like little centipedes?

    I think they are more like little worms -not that i saw any! They come as a moist powdery substance that you mix with water and use a watering can to apply. I did this in April/ May last year and while it did not kill them all it really cut down on them. I would do it this year but I think its too late now. I think it works best when slugs are young.


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    #41
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,729 ✭✭✭redser7


    They are microscopic parasites that eat the slugs from the inside out. Nice stuff! Relatively expensive to buy and you have to reapply after a few weeks. But very affective apparently. They work on any size/age slug. Google Nemaslug.

    You can make your own but it's pretty gross. Made a batch once but never got round to using it. Tipping it away was not a nice experience ...
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/8675592/The-war-on-slugs-starts-at-home.html


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    #42
    miss no stars
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭miss no stars


    Presumably not safe if you have pets?


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    #43
    Red Hare
    Registered Users Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Red Hare


    Yes Nematodes are expensive - seventeen Euros last year - and thats why I didn't use them this year.. but I am going through so much beer this year, without anything like the same level of slug control; that maybe i would be better off using another dose of Nematodes right now.

    I don't think i will be making my own - thats the stuff of nightmare!


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    #44
    Red Hare
    Registered Users Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Red Hare


    miss no stars wrote: »
    Presumably not safe if you have pets?

    They are safe for pets, widlife and humans. Thats why i tried them out. :)


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    #45
    miss no stars
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭miss no stars


    Red Hare wrote: »
    They are safe for pets, widlife and humans. Thats why i tried them out. :)

    So they ONLY eat slugs? Snails too?


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    #46
    Red Hare
    Registered Users Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Red Hare


    "Nemaslug" says they kill snails too - but not as effectively as slugs. So i guess if you wish to protect snails then nematodes is not safe. :pac:


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    #47
    josip
    Registered Users Posts: 13,641 ✭✭✭✭josip


    27 snails relocated over the back wall already.
    They were out in force, must be expecting rain.
    It's a wood on the other side of the back wall btw, not a neighbour's lettuce patch :)


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    #48
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,729 ✭✭✭redser7


    You know they return? You have to lob them a fair distance before they get lost.


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    #49
    josip
    Registered Users Posts: 13,641 ✭✭✭✭josip


    redser7 wrote: »
    You know they return? You have to lob them a fair distance before they get lost.

    I heard that you should aim for 20m.
    I'm getting them 10m away with a 2m high wall in between.
    I'm hoping the flight throught the air will disorient them sufficiently.
    If I try to get them 20m into the wood, I'll turn them into slugs against the tree trunks


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    #50
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    Ducks eat tons of snails but they might also eat your plants.

    Slow worms are great too.


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    #51
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    chopper6 wrote: »
    Ducks eat tons of snails but they might also eat your plants.

    Slow worms are great too.

    Yeah ducks definitely eat the plants too, saw as much on an episode of River Cottage


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