Tips on Handling Slugs and Snails in the Garden

Mackay QLD Snail and Slug Prevention

They might not all work for you– a lot depends on simply how bad the problem is where you live– but it is definitely worth trying some if not all of them.

One of the most common problems faced by gardeners is the one of slugs and snails. Even knowledgeable garden enthusiasts tear their cumulative hair out at the damage these animals can cause. So I believed I would give you a few attempted and tested pointers, and some others possibly not so well understood, to assist you deal with them– you won’t get rid of them completely, however at least you will be able to keep them under some sort of control!

Barriers:

On your garden borders, you can utilize barriers around plants, such as crushed eggshells, grit, bran, or wood-ash or soot. The theory is that slugs and snails hesitate to cross these materials and will for that reason roam off elsewhere to look for their next meal. Ensure you put plenty down without any spaces.

These techniques will be more efficient against snails than slugs, as slugs live in the ground and can for that reason avoid barriers.

Scatter oat bran around your plants– slugs love it, but if they consume enough, they die and broaden!

Petroleum jelly smeared heavily around the rims of pots has a similar deterrent impact.

You can buy copper tape with an adhesive support, which you can remain the pot sides– this provides the snail a small electric shock as it attempts to cross.

Traps:

Collect all the snails and slugs you can find in the late night, when they start to end up being active and drown them in a pail of greatly salted water. Plain water will not work– they will simply swim to the surface area and crawl out! Or, if you know where they conceal out, you can gather them up throughout the day– attempt looking under logs or bricks, and shrubs, any dark, wet corner.

Usage beer traps– really efficient at dealing with both slugs and snails, and you can buy these from a garden centre. You can also use out of date fruit juice, or even milk simply about on the turn.

After eating your half grapefruit, cut a little hole and location the skin upside down on the soil. Slugs like it and will gather together inside and every day you can gather them up.

And what to do with the slugs you’ve collected? If you put live slugs or snails into your compost pile, they will most likely remain there, as there is a lot of matter for them to delight in. You can also put the dead ones in there too, those in the beer traps consisting of the beer– however scoop the dead slugs and snails out of the salty water initially.

Predators:

For a biological control, you can use nematodes– microscopic parasites that kill the slugs above and listed below ground. Gotten from natural garden suppliers, you just blend the powder with water and spray on to the soil utilizing a watering can. This can be efficient for around six weeks.

Adopt some chickens or ducks– they just enjoy eating slugs– and you can have some free eggs into the bargain if you are lucky adequate to have the area.

Make your garden wildlife friendly, to encourage the natural predators of snails and slugs to go to and come. Dig a pond to encourage toads and frogs; neglect food for hedgehogs; and install bird feeders. This will not offer an ‘instantaneous repair’ for the problem, but in the long term will give you a healthier garden with fewer bugs.

Till next time, pleased slug hunting!

Use beer traps– extremely efficient at dealing with both slugs and snails, and you can purchase these from a garden centre. Gather all the slugs and snails you can find in the late evening, when they begin to end up being active and drown them in a container of greatly salted water. If you put live slugs or snails into your garden compost stack, they will most likely remain there, as there is plenty of matter for them to feast on. You can also put the dead ones in there too, those in the beer traps including the beer– but scoop the dead slugs and snails out of the salted water.

Make your garden wildlife friendly, to encourage the natural predators of snails and slugs to come and check out.

If you have any problem pests at your home or business, contact Mackay Pest Controllers.

Call 4843 4941 today!

Mackay QLD Pest Control Service