Snare those Slugs and Snails!

There’s a scene in the latest Harry Potter movie where Harry’s friend spits up slugs. Yuck! Doesn’t that just sum up the way most of us feel about slugs and snails? The very thought of the slimy little things is not a pretty one, and absolutely nobody wants them ruining their garden!

Stop destructive snails and slugs from snacking on your plants, but without using poisonous baits that can threaten the health of your pets and family. Alternative methods may take just a little patience, but with a bit of perseverance you will be able to rid your garden of these pesky creatures without using harmful chemicals.

Remove slugs and snails by hand. By night, use a flashlight and follow
their shiny trails to find them.
Transport them somewhere far from your garden, (not your neighbor’s
garden!) or squish or drown them in a jar of soapy water.
Wearing a face mask, spread natural or agricultural-grade diatomaceous
earth over the soil in flower beds or around individual plants. Diatomaceous
earth cuts the slugs and causes them to dehydrate. Reapply after each rain.
Deter snails and slugs by sprinkling cayenne pepper along their paths.
Place ceramic flowerpots upside-down to attract and trap snails and slugs
in the shade. Overturn them and remove the snails daily until they are gone.
Water your garden and lawn in the morning. Slugs and snails travel at night
more easily through wet plants.

Read more: Nature, Natural Pest Control

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Elizabeth O.

2:34PM PDT on May 2, 2012

Useful tips.

send a green star

Sue M.

6:19AM PDT on Apr 16, 2012

thanks

Lydia P.

5:57AM PDT on Apr 16, 2012

We could never bear to kill them, they just want to eat. Plant cheap, leafy greens for them to feed on...such as leaf lettuce or even dried beans. This will help keep them out of your real veggie garden and even your hostas. P.S.--my kids made pets out of them.

Past Member .

8:29PM PDT on Apr 15, 2012

Beer traps! You use the bottom of a paper cup or the lid off a jar and you fill it with cheap beer. The slugs drown or, even if they don't, if you come out at night with a flashlight, they're visible, slow, and squishable.

Joe R.

1:38PM PDT on Apr 15, 2012

Thanks Annie.

Duane B.

10:56AM PDT on Apr 15, 2012

Thank you for sharing.

Teresa W.

3:59AM PDT on Apr 15, 2012

interesting

Dale O.

7:23PM PDT on Apr 14, 2012

In addition to my previous brief comment, it is amazing how grumpy people get with each other on these sites, my, my-try breathing and counting to ten!
Even so, the comments here are relatively tepid compared to the slug fest going on at the In Defense Of Hunting article-or for us Canadians - defence. Wow, talk about vindictive comments!

7:16PM PDT on Apr 14, 2012

Fascinating, there are people with far too much time on their hands.
The only worry with balcony gardening is not slugs and snail but the diving bombing runs made by pigeons-splat.
When gardening on the farm there was enough room for everyone, plants, snails, slugs and humans.

Danuta W.

1:29AM PST on Jan 8, 2012

Thanks for the article.