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Re: Slugs and Slaters (No. 2)

>From: "Susan George" <susan_c_george@hotmail.com>
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Slugs and Slaters (No. 2)
>Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 17:30:11 PST
>
> For all those who queried what a slater is I have looked up my pest
> books and found out that slaters are also called Woodlice, Pillbugs or
> Sowbugs -    <snip>
> The Collins Guide to Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Garden Plants by
> Stefan Buczacki and Keith Harris suggests using HCH (whatever that is?)
> or Carbaryl Dust (don't know much about this either - but apparently
> moderately persistent - and I am not keen on using pesticides - I even
> feel uncomfortable about using pyrethrum although I do!).
>
> Another book that I looked at suggested pyrethrum mixed with eucalyptus
> - you can buy it here premixed in a pump pack and I was wondering if I
> could further dilute it (with water)and water it into the soil with a
> watering can to stop the blighters eating my Iris roots and rhizomes??
>
> Any other suggestions or comments??

Susan - 

Cornmeal.  Just sprinkle some around areas in which they are found.  They
little blighters eat it and it does something awful to their digestive system!
Weird but true.  

In our current garden, they were to be found in astronomical numbers!  My
then 6 month-old son could be found playing with them as they were invading
the house as well as garden! And they DO eat living tissue and not just
'decaying matter'.  I have found several plants the populations in my garden
seem to love.  Fortunately, I found out about the cornmeal trick a while ago
and now they are far fewer in number.

Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@poboxes.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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