Re: slugs/snails
Karl Hoover wrote:
>
> For snails (Helix aspera) : Ducks -- the ultimate snail predators, (nothing
> comes close to their rapaciousness) They will search out and devour
> whatever snails they can reach. Another benefit here in northern california
> is that the ducks seem to prefer the european garden snails over the native
> snail fauna.
>
> Ducks won't bother quite a few garden plants but are quite found of melon
> plants and have the strange habit of eating any flowers within their reach.
>
> For slugs: Cheap beer in a dish or bowl with a tent to keep out the rain -
> the little idiots therein love to drown themselves.
>
> For either: metaldahyde - but do keep your dim-witted dogs and fowl away
> from it - it will control them also.
>
> Also for snails, in case you can't procur or maintain a family of ducks,
> i've found that you can spread some black plastic or tar paper in an
> out-of-the-way place, weigh it down with rocks, not too snugly, to the
> ground and wait a few weeks. Lift it up on a relatively warm, dry day - it
> will probably be covered with dozens of the devils.
karl.
We were introduced to a simple home trap which allows the
environmentally-safe use of metaldehyde if one so desires. We have had a
great deal of success with this, especially under Hostas.
All that is required is a large plastic bottle such as is used for soft
drink. First cut off a piece from the neck to enlarge the hole somewhat.
Then cut round the junction between the neck and the body. You now have
a cylinder and a funnel. Reverse the funnel and tuck it into the
cylinder so the edges coincide. Tou now have a trap analagous to a
lobster pot. Snails or slugs (often both) can crawl in especially if you
provide a bait, but will not have the sense to find the way out. If the
bait is metaldehyde they will actually die in there, but if you use some
other sort of lure you will still have to dispose of them regularly. The
beauty of this trap is twofold:-
1) The lure is only accessible to small creatures which can crawl in and
your pets will not be able to reach it. (I have found the odd spider in
ours, but quite unhurt and easily releaased).
2) Dying molluscs cannot be eaten by birds etc.
I have also found a ring of diatomaceous earth round a plant very
effective in the short term. Last autumn I had planted out some broccoli
and came back the next day to find considerable slug damage, so I put
rings of the DE round all the plants and there were no more attacks.
I also agree that a piece of black plastic can be a super trap for
snails, while a few bricks left around will often attract sleeping
slugs.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand
