Slug pellet removal...
Chris Graham
Posts: 1
Hi guys, joined this forum for a bit of advice if you would oblige.. We have just moved in to a new house with a lovely big garden however the previous owner has decided to throw a huge amount of slug pellets all over. I wouldn't be so concerned but I have a very inquisitive 2 year old daughter and I'm concerned that she could pick them up and eat them. After trawling the Internet I'm stumped in trying to find a way to remove them so I have two questions. 1) is there any way to easily remove the pellets without having to pick them up by hand 2) how dangerous to humans are they Thank you! Chris
0
Posts
It depends what sort they are - there are some that really aren't as dangerous to mammals/birds - they're the ones containing iron phosphate as the active ingredient rather than metaldehyde. A child would have to consume a very large amount to become ill.
However, that doesn't really help you as you don't know which they are. I'd just get some rubber gloves and pick them up - a bit tedious, but not an unpleasant task on a cool summer evening.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The blue ones are more toxic but I think she'd have to eat more than one or two to feel any ill effect. They'll disappear after a few weeks especially if we get rain. They'll also lose their toxicity as Metaldehyde is not very persistent and is soluble.
Chris .... you could consider mulching over them so that they are covered.
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Or just hoe them in to the top soil so they're invisible.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw