Controlling slugs and snails (part 4)

May 27, 5:25 PMDetroit Organic Gardening ExaminerBill Canaday

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1896 slug chart

This is the fourth in a series about controlling slugs and snails in the home garden. Slugs and snails are active in the garden down to about 32 F. – so they can be a problem for the entire growing season. While they DO make themselves useful through eating decaying matter, they cause a great deal of damage because of their appetites for seedlings and ripening fruit. A single snail or slug would not cause a lot of damage but, because they are hermaphrodites, there is no such thing as a single snail or slug.

Traps

Though baits can be part of a management program for snails and slugs, by themselves they don’t provide adequate control in gardens that contain plenty of shelter, food, and moisture. Get rid of it first.

Snails and slugs can be trapped under boards or flower pots positioned throughout the garden and landscape. Inverted melon rinds make good traps. You can make traps from 12" x 15" boards (or any easy-to-handle size) raised off the ground by 1-inch runners. Don't make it too small or the moisture underneath won't remain through the day. The runners make it easy for the pests to crawl underneath. Scrape off the accumulated snails and slugs daily and destroy them. Crushing is the most common method of destruction. Do not use salt to destroy snails and slugs directly in the garden; it will increase soil salinity.

Yeast traps, made by pouring beer or sugar water + yeast into a steep-sided container are only effective for roughly 3'-4' diameter near the trap and must be refilled every few days to keep the level deep enough to drown the mollusks. Traps are buried at ground level, so the mollusks easily fall into them. Traps must have deep, vertical sides to keep the snails and slugs from crawling out and a top to reduce evaporation. To make a simple trap, cut 1/2” x 1/2” notches at 3-4 points around a plastic tub such as Cool Whip or yogurt is sold in. Dig a hole in the garden to hold the whole tub, fill with beer or other bait and snap the lid on. Set the tub into the soil, level with it. Snail and slug traps can also be purchased at garden supply stores if you are not the DIY type.

Handpicking

Handpicking can be very effective if done thoroughly on a regular basis. At first it should be done daily. After the population has noticeably declined, a weekly handpicking may be sufficient. To draw out snails, water the infested area in the late afternoon. You'll want to allow time for the foliage to dry, but the soil should still be moist. After dark, search them out using a flashlight, pick them up (rubber gloves, chopsticks or a fork on a stick are handy when slugs are involved), place them in a plastic bag, and dispose of them in the trash; or they can be put in a bucket with soapy water and then disposed of in your compost pile. Alternatively, captured snails and slugs can be crushed and left in the garden. Household ammonia diluted to a 5 to 10% solution in water can also be sprayed on collected slugs to kill them. Death is never pretty … whatever you do, be quick about it.

In 'the D'

Bill