Slugs and Snails - Ask Extension
Hi -- First the slugs/snails. I use a standard "bait and kill" shaking slug deterrent around my flowers and veggies but we seem to be seeing...
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Slugs and Snails #872294
Asked June 09, 2024, 2:40 PM EDT
Hi -- First the slugs/snails. I use a standard "bait and kill" shaking slug deterrent around my flowers and veggies but we seem to be seeing more slugs every year. Is there a truly effective way to deter slugs/snails, and do you have any natural/home remedy type solutions? Any solutions are appreciated.
Washington County Vermont
Expert Response
Hi, Cassandra. Thanks for using the UVM Extension Master Gardener helpline. I feel your pain! I also feel like there have been more slugs in the past year or two, perhaps because of damp weather at the perfect time (perfect for slugs, that is....)
There is plenty of good advice for managing slugs and snails. I'll link to some resources below. To summarize some of the options:
1. Eliminate places to hide near susceptible plants. Slugs like damp, dark places. Scrap mulch and leaves away from the plants. Let the surroundings dry out.
2. Discourage them by sprinkling dry diatomaceous earth or crushed clam shells around individual plants. (Apparently crushed eggshells or coffee grounds are not very effective.) Sheep's wool or cotton batting might be a deterrent as well. They don't like to cross these barriers.
3. Trap them, by giving them new places to congregate, and then dispose of them each day. They will gather under flower pots, wooden boards, newspapers, melon rinds, potato pieces, cabbage leaves, etc.
4. Catch them by watering an area well in the late afternoon and then hunting them on the surface with a flashlight after dark! Also, regularly check the obvious hiding places around the house and garden.
5. Trap them with beer or yeast mixtures: "Beer/yeast traps attract slugs and snails within an area of only a few feet, and you must replenish the bait every few days to keep the level deep enough to drown the mollusks. Traps must have deep vertical sides to keep the snails and slugs from crawling out and a top to reduce evaporation. These types of traps are available at garden supply stores, or you can make your own by burying a coffee can, margarine container, or plastic bottle with the top at ground level and placing a lid with holes cut into it over the container."*
6. Dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag, or by dropping in soapy water. Snails are easily squished and left in the garden.
Daily hand-picking and trapping for a while can make a big difference, and then can become more of a weekly task.
For more detailed info, check out these links:
-* https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html
- https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs#create-a-landscape-less-attractive-to-slugs-298061
- https://extension.umaine.edu/home-and-garden-ipm/fact-sheets/common-name-listing/slugs-and-snails/
Good luck!
There is plenty of good advice for managing slugs and snails. I'll link to some resources below. To summarize some of the options:
1. Eliminate places to hide near susceptible plants. Slugs like damp, dark places. Scrap mulch and leaves away from the plants. Let the surroundings dry out.
2. Discourage them by sprinkling dry diatomaceous earth or crushed clam shells around individual plants. (Apparently crushed eggshells or coffee grounds are not very effective.) Sheep's wool or cotton batting might be a deterrent as well. They don't like to cross these barriers.
3. Trap them, by giving them new places to congregate, and then dispose of them each day. They will gather under flower pots, wooden boards, newspapers, melon rinds, potato pieces, cabbage leaves, etc.
4. Catch them by watering an area well in the late afternoon and then hunting them on the surface with a flashlight after dark! Also, regularly check the obvious hiding places around the house and garden.
5. Trap them with beer or yeast mixtures: "Beer/yeast traps attract slugs and snails within an area of only a few feet, and you must replenish the bait every few days to keep the level deep enough to drown the mollusks. Traps must have deep vertical sides to keep the snails and slugs from crawling out and a top to reduce evaporation. These types of traps are available at garden supply stores, or you can make your own by burying a coffee can, margarine container, or plastic bottle with the top at ground level and placing a lid with holes cut into it over the container."*
6. Dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag, or by dropping in soapy water. Snails are easily squished and left in the garden.
Daily hand-picking and trapping for a while can make a big difference, and then can become more of a weekly task.
For more detailed info, check out these links:
-* https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7427.html
- https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs#create-a-landscape-less-attractive-to-slugs-298061
- https://extension.umaine.edu/home-and-garden-ipm/fact-sheets/common-name-listing/slugs-and-snails/
Good luck!
This is great, thank you!
