Re: metaldyhyde in the garden

Graham Rice wrote:
> 
> >Cindi wrote: Be particularly careful if you decide to use snail pellets.
> >They look way > >too much like pet food. I killed my wonderful 80 pound dog and almost
> >killed another 80pounder who had lapped up a couple of pellets.... 

Hi folks
 
In NZ we can get two sorts of slug pellets, one with the traditional
metaldehyde and one with methiocarb. IThe latter when it appeared was
haled as an improvement on the metaldehyde, but many people have now
gone back to their original allegence. It seems methiocarb baits are not
as attractive to the molluscs as the metaldehyde, so they tend to feed
on them only after taking a first course from the plants. Also, the
methiocarb is  pretty quick acting and the creatures often die with most
of a pellet undigested inside. If these animals should be picked up by
birds or hedgehogs they could have disastrous effects.

To several people who have warned against using these baits where they
could be accessed by pets, and also to those who have found inebriated
molluscs roistering home across their gardens I commend the simple
homemade trap I described in a recent posting. This can either be baited
with a killer substance or a lure such as beer and is unlikely to cause
any harm to anything but its intended target. I have used several of
these traps for the last two years with metaldehyde baits and have no
evidence of killing anything other than snails and the odd slug.

Another (and very effective) way to reduce the population is by leaving
odd pieces of black horticultural plastic strategically strewn around
and regularly collecting up the molluscs which will undoubtedly see them
as a desirable daytime sleeping place.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index