Re: Escar-Go

I must not be doing the beer thing right.  No matter how deep the bowl, all
I ever find is a bunch of slug-slime all over the lip of whatever I put the
beer in.  Seems like they just partied all night.  Sometimes something comes
along and drinks it! Would raccoons or opposums do that?

Louise Niemer in Park Hills, Kentucky

------Original Message------
From: Walt Brooks <c1w2brooks@QWEST.NET>
To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Sent: March 12, 2001 3:44:33 AM GMT
Subject: Re: [SG] Escar-Go


Bobbi Diehl wrote:

> I bought Deadline last year and then lost courage. Afraid to use it. I
> confess that in the past I have resorted to handpicking snails, including
> the tiny ones, but have to admit it is tedious and unpleasant.
>
> A man in my garden club has success with good old beer--and the way he
> does it is to slosh a few drops into jar lids and turn them upside down.
> The trace of beer attracts the slugs and they are still there in the
> morning, inside the lids, when he polices the yard. He sends them to slug
> heaven and repeats the process that evening. You do need to save jar lids,
> or have your friends save them for you.
>
> I intend to try Don's method this spring. I'll let you know if I trap a
> significant number of slugs that way.
>
> Bobbi Diehl
> Bloomington, IN
> zone 5/6
>
> On Sun, 11 Mar 2001, Louise Niemer wrote:
>
> > There is a product that I use when absolutely desperate - "Deadline".
Comes
> > in a bottle, looks like liquid lead.  I believe it has cyanide (not
sure).
> > Slugs are attracted to it and are out there "gasping" in the morning.
> > Environmentally, it is probably a nightmare.  My usual option is to lie
old
> > pieces of board (about 10-12" long) on the ground.  In the morning, go
> > around with a bucket of water, pick up each board and dunk it to wash
off
> > the slugs on the bottom side.  There are always a lot of them snoozing
under
> > on the ground as well that I pick up and pitch in the bucket.  I usually
> > only have to do this for a few weeks while the new/tender foliage is
> > emerging.
> >

For anyone who cares: Most slug baits sold commercially use a form of
formaldehyde
which is quite dangerous to pets if they should for some reason eat some.
Iron
phosphate is sold under various names, Sluggo is one I know of, it is pretty
much
harmless but less effective.  Beer works well in a variety of traps and
under a
lid sounds good to me.

Walt Brooks, retired chemist and now avid gardener.


--
Walter Brooks Jr.
29814 11th Ave SW
Federal Way, WA 98023-8210
253-941-3854
c1w2brooks@qwest.net


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