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Me Vs Slugs

MamaLionMamaLion Posts: 18
in Problem solving
Hi everyone. Being a bit of an animal lover and a softie, I have a hard time dispatching really big slugs! Little ones I squish and leave for the wildlife, snails go in the green waste wheelie bin (or get thrown a long way into a wild patch behind my garden). At the moment, the biggest slugs just get dumped into the wheelie bin, but I'm starting to think they can climb out! What can I do to dispatch them? I find beer traps pretty unpleasant to deal with and dumping the slugs into salt feels nasty! I'm not going to use poisons. Do I just need to man up and run them through?! Or can I trust them to stay in the green bin?! :-/
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  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,915

    Do you have a compost heap? Everyone should have a compost heap.image

    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • Mel McbrideMel Mcbride Posts: 112

    Yes they can move quite fast when they want to as well! I just put mine live in to the compost bin. Just yesterday I was collected slugs and snails out the poly tunnel, and you have to empty it quick, I literally just moved a few pots, and when I looked at he bucket, the snail I threw in was almost at the top of it. - They can move quick enough when they want to!

    If you put food waste in the bin, they love that and will stay around the bin for the most part. Garlic spray works a treat too, they really dislike it. You just crush two cloves and stick them in a spray bottle and leave for 24hrs. Its said to last three days if the leaves don't get wet. I do mine more often than that tho. Even though it is rotting garlic water you're spraying, it give a really nice scent around the garden. Bit like when you walk through wild garlic on forest floors.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,985

    Most of the big slugs are goodiesimage  they eat the little slugs and stuff that's already rotting - it's the little slugs that eat the growing plants image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,174

    Hi All,

    The only problem I have with putting slugs into the compost bins is that when I come to use the compost I'm concerned that I will be spreading slugs and their eggs on to the borders when I mulch with it.

    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • maureen60maureen60 Posts: 193

    Funny

    I also wonder if putting the snails into compost bin, and eggs are laid, am I then putting the snails back onto the plants.

     

     

     

  • GardenmaidenGardenmaiden Posts: 1,126

    Its heading for that humid time of year when the ants send their winged brethren off into the unknown. Tomorrow or Friday.

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