Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm getting some very small slugs on my over-wintering celery. They are maybe a quater of an inch long & a smooth jet black with none of that wrinkly, wavy marking you get in big black slugs.
What sort of slug are they?

Keel slugs probably.

Will stay small and black, bore into veg, especially potatoes. Love getting between cabbage leaves & other brassica's. In fact not much they wont get into if they can

Slug pellets or beer traps

BTW:- Welcome to the forum

Welcome Michael!

Hideous little blighters ruined my main crop potatoes last year and like Pa says they like getting into your brassica's but fortunately don't do too much damage to them but do take some washing to get rid off. I find nothing works in winter as all the nasties stay tucked into the leaves & don't venture down to the ground for any pellets or beer. I'm seriously thinking of neomodes for my spud beds this year, especially the main crop. I had pellets down in the bottom of the trenches but they only dealt with those there when planted not the others that moved in later.

Hi,

Michael - you're not alone! Loads of slugs amongst my flowers today (snow drops, daffs, wallflowers). I think they've been living under the water butt a a slight bit of warmer weather has brought them out in force! Although I think the slugs I have are the large brown ones.

I often get the small black ones tucked away in the veg leaves so have to give them a good wash.

Pa snip - I am very impressed at you're slug species knowledge!

Pawty

Can I ask folk to consider alternatives to slug pellets, they have been linked with the deaths of hedgehogs and Song Thrushes apparently. I am also told that they actually attract slugs and snails so are counter productive.

Hi Tiger!

I use the right pellets, no risk to the birdies - & some pretty rubbish at controlling slugs & sails as well!

Our water company, Affinity, gave the town council and it's site agents a presentation on how gardeners can affect ground water.
Metaldahyde based slug pellets cause them real problems as the active ingredient is difficult and costly to remove from drinking water.

Ones using ferric phosphate are recommended as this decomposes into iron and phosphate.

Lots of slugs here, too, at the moment, munching through all the pansy and viola petals in containers and even some of the snowdrops have been nibbled. It's usually slugs in a mild winter and huge garden snails in summer. The latter live in the limestone dry stone walls which border both our garden and the allotment. And the 'wildlife friendly' slug pellets don't seem to affect those at all.
I did use a rather nasty liquid slug killer in the past (Slugit?). It's no longer available and quite rightly, too, because when I used to water it onto paths in the evening, they looked like a battle field every morning with dead slugs and snails everywhere. Well, that did worry me, because no doubt birds, hedgehogs, frogs and toads could easily have dined on these poisoned bodies. Not nice at all.

Hi
In earlier post it mentions beer traps, my question is, "What is the best beer to use" I have used cider but haven't trapped any yet. any replies appreciated

We used some beer traps but it was in Spain we used the dregs left in the bottom of esterella cans after we had a few friends call in they were very successful that's the traps not the friends

Monkey, use the cheapest, the slugs and snails can't differentiate and are attracted by both.

Hi Monkey - Welcome!

Not sure cider works, has to be beer I believe as they like the yeast. Buy the cheapest in the supermarket & just keep what left even if flat to top the traps up. Personally I gave up on the traps, it seemed like they got on Face Book & advertised a party & it was well messy.

I had an incidental find when I had to shorten one of my weed membrane paths. Under it were mega loads of dead slugs - finished off by the ants that have overwintered under it. Hopefully the ants will just move back under the rest of the path & continue to protect my plants planned for that spot this year.

If you put beer traps down make sure they have a top over them even a paper one as one down pour and the bait is watered down

The other thing to watch with beer traps is that they should remain slightly proud of the surrounding ground. If they are level with the ground, ground beetles (and they are the 'goodies'!) can fall in and drown. Slugs and snails are quite happy to overcome the raised edge and THEN fall in and drown ....... (oh, aren't we cruel?!)