Re: slugs/snails

At 07:01 PM 2/22/99 -0800, richard starkeson wrote:
>I don't use many chemicals or often in the garden, but "Slug and Snail
>Death" or its equivalent is a necessity if you want to protect certain
>specially vulnerable plants.  After a few  early morning roundups, the
>liquid metaldahyde bait is applied in a thin circle around each valuable
>plant.  Being in that form, it is not tempting to dogs/cats.  The snails
>feast on it and are paralyzed (usually not killed) before they reach the
>plant - and can be removed.  I don't use the pellet form, to prevent
>birds and mammals from eating it.

I always advocate avoidance of any poison in the garden, but careful use
on occasion is the only way to beat certain problem - snails certainly fall
into this category in California.

My 'careful' method is to use the flaked form (Cory's is what I find here
pretty cheaply) of snail bait.  Application is very important so that we
don't breed bait resistant races of these beasties.  The lightest
application possible, used routinely, is what works best.  Whenever snails
are on the prowl (now is peak with wet gardens and warming weather), I
take a small amount of bait and place it in a plastic bowl I use for this
purpose (not more than just 1/8 the volume of the bowl).  While wearing a
face mask, when there is no wind, I sweep the bowl from side to side towards
the area of garden I wish to apply.  This send the flakes into the air and
they settle over everything - you can barely see it anywhere.  As MY snails
rarely touch the ground (my garden has many close growing shrubs and tall
perennials), this method puts the bait into the foliage canopy where they
will find it.  Apply once, or maybe twice a week is rainy.

The advantage of this method is that you use little poison (always best),
it goes where needed, and the snail ingest it repeatedly over time which
produces a better 'kill'.  We have few of these guys now compared to past
years.  Making 'rings' or dumping piles of the stuff does little to kill
the snails - they just avoid these dry patches and it tends to produce an
effect which selects those possibly resistant to the poison.  It is also
more attractive to pets and children.  I have never notice my cat show any
interest in the bait when applied my way.  We also have a thriving
population of newts in the garden so they do not seem to be harmed by the
small amount of poison or perhaps interested in eating it themselves.
I know I've given this 'speach' before, but I'm always surprized at how
snail bait in applied by gardeners - it might seem more cathartic to dump
a more noticable amount out there, but if you try this approach, over time
you'll find it better therapy when your snail population plummets!

Sean O.
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