Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all,
Have just bought a couple of plastic slug traps in Lidl's spasmodic garden sale (1.79 for two!). They have to be filled with beer (a little roof keeps the rain out) but should they be filled to the lip or a bit down on that? My local publican has said he'll give me some "slops" from the pumps, but what do slugs go for? Lager lout slugs?, or are they CAMRA slugs and like bit of the Old Peculiar?
John N

Somebody once told me that slugs like lager, so I usually buy the cheapest I can find, but replace it fairly regularly, because it reeks a bit after the slugs have happily drowned. I keep the opened tin in the greenhouse and use one can for several fillings.
It works to a point, but I think in order to attract all the slugs and snails in a garden, one would have to place a slug trap every five feet or so!

I think it probably depends on what social class the slugs are. In certain areas round here folk use white cider cos the slugs are really hardcore. I use Stella Artois for my slugs (mainly because I always have some in for the dog), but across the common I hear they only use Lanson.

Sorry......

My slugs get own brand cheapo supermarket larger and dont complain. Slug pubs are effective and the plastic ones work well. Thats the sort i have - cheap and cheerfulI fill them about half way up and always seem to get loads of bodies.

seedling

I also purchased some of the little traps from lidl and plan to use the cheapest beer/larger, but what I realy want to know is how do you go about emptying the things, where should I put the bodies, as seedling nicely put it.

Skinny

Without being too graphic it all ends up as a slimy liquid so i usually pour it out onto an unused bit of ground or you could put it in a container and throw it in the bin.
Seedling

Is there any reason why it couldn't be put in the compost bin?

Dont see why not.
Seedling

I always put the bodies in the compost bin and they disappear.

Thats great, I will put mine in the compost bin when I finally get some sluggys that is, well it wont be long and I should be thankful that they are not here yet.

Don't bury it too deep like I did or you may find lots of ground beetles get killed too. I don't know if they follow the slugs in or are heading for the only Pub a kind human built for them. I gave up using my Slug Pub because our dog and cat kept knocking it over. Damn shame because it did do the job well.

Monika wrote:I think in order to attract all the slugs and snails in a garden, one would have to place a slug trap every five feet or so!

Agree, beer traps work but only in the vicinty of the trap. Over here beed is very cheap (about 20 pence a bottle) but it is the time element which makes them ineffective IMO

The biggest problem for me, was sourcing beer for the traps - pub beer slops were not plentiful enough, so I found some really cheap bitter in Tesco, £1 for four 440ml cans.
The good news is, the slugs are loving it! all eight of my traps have < 6 - 10 > in them.

I empty the traps on the same patch of garden every time, and have seen birds pecking at them, and they are all gone by morning - it is possible I now have Alcoholic Hedgehogs & Woodmice!

Welcome to the forum artful codger!

Slugs aren't so bad at the allotment this year for me, probably as it is so dry & I am on top of the weeding. Home though is a different picture altogether with regular watering & I'm totally overrun with them. I have no Sluggo left, the slimy things ate the cardboard box it was in, there's something ironic in that. Anyway I dug out the beer traps, set them up & expected the good results.

I got the traps all collected up by the dogs & deposited on the kitchen floor! Chewed up to add insult to injury & mud everywhere! Back to the torchlight collection then!

We have seen very few slugs this year and even fewer snails which tend to be more numerous around here (because of the limestone walls. I think). August was dry for us (except for one very rainy day) and September is proving even drier. I have even put the sprinkler on to give the green manure a moisture boost!