Under siege by slugs.

[Grandalf]

My house is currently under siege by .... Slugs.   I live alone in a small detached three bedroom nine year old house on the edge of a North Suffolk village.   My next door neighbour's have a 38 acre wildlife sanctury comprising 10,000, mainly hardwood, trees and areas of scrub brambles, etc.   (It is a superb area and I have the muntjac stalking so no complaints in that direction).

The house is cut into a steep bank and is only eight yards from the start of the wildlife sanctury.   The rear of the house faces north.   On the north east corner is my backdoor and a paved patio but, particularly at this time of the year, it never gets the sun on it.  It is always dank, damp and musty on this corner.

Slugs have always been present but, probably due to the wet weather we have had in these parts over the last few months, they have now proliferated to vast numbers.

They are not the huge black varienty but are grey and seem to grow to about 1.5 inches at maximum.

Along some of the walls of the house are shallow (4") gravel channels - Presumably to assist drainage.   Most slugs emerge from this area.

Over the last two months the slugs have taken to climbing the plastered walls of the house on a nightly basis.   On wet nights they go right up to the bedroom window level.  I kill anything between fifty to a hundred of the little blighters every night when I let my dog out for a last run.   Last night I did this at 18.30 and again at 22.30 with about 60 killed on each occasion.   It is just endless as my endeavours do not seem to be reducing the numbers at all.

I have slug pellet trays and beer traps in profusion.   The beer traps get diluted by the incessant rain but do work.   The slug pellets leave no evidence to judge their effectiveness.

If anyone knows a sure fire way, that is safe to my dog and other wildlife, to kill these ******* I would be very glad to know of it.

I live in hope, and a maze of slug trails, and await your replies,

Grandalf

[scarecrow243]

try putting salt along the area the salt melts them if they touch it

[old'un]

Just now, scarecrow243 said:

try putting salt along the area the salt melts them if they touch it

you beat me to it.

[islandgun]

As said salt in any area that remains dry, they also dont like soot, ash or sand you might try those at the base of the walls

[chrisv]

I’ve heard that they don’t like to cross a barrier of copper tape.

No experience of this myself though.

 

[dipper]

Hedge hogs frogs and toads are your friends vineger is good .

[harrycatcat1]

I wonder why they climb? I've often found slugs half way up my garage wall when I let the dog out last off. The garage is like a pebble dash finish but it doesn't bother them.

Perhaps more beer traps under cover so rain doesn't dilute it 🤔🤔🤔

Good luck 👍 

[old'un]

We had a similar area on our patio, went out every night and sprinkled salt on them and around the general area, within a week we hardly seen any, the only problem was getting them off the patio the next day, they seemed to be glued to the patio.

[amateur]

Water Nemaslug into your planting area.

The nematodes eat the slugs from the inside out.

We can't use slug pellets because of our terrier and we haven't found the copper tape to be effective.

I must say, though, this year the little blighters have been everywhere.

[Mr.C]

Yup agree with the above. We used to have 11 hedgehogs visit which, along with the frogs which live in the goldfish pond, took tare of most.

Since getting a Patterdale however not so many hedgehogs so went the nematode route. Not as efficient as hedgehogs but they do work.

[Rim Fire]

i used to use pine needles they don't like spikes or sheeps wool 

[Mice!]

We've used Nematodes in the past, they won't do much this year but they could hopefully reduce things in the future, they kill them in the ground. 

Given where you are I imagine it's perfect conditions for the slugs, a few woods I shoot in are full of huge slugs.

But the most effective thing I've seen are chickens,  my neighbour had 4 or 5 rescues and there wasn't a living creature in his garden, just chicken poo 😅😅

 

 

[Bigbob]

This years been bad i was getting 50 plus slugs a night off my containers , i only used copper tape on the most tender tubs a pound a packet out of the pound shops . I think salt would work but after every shower of rain it will need replaced unless you get a  bag of road salt and put a fair amount down ?>

[Mice!]

4 minutes ago, Bigbob said:

unless you get a  bag of road salt and put a fair amount down

Which will kill anything growing as well as it washes away,  my mum tried that,  killed the slugs as well though. 

[Bigbob]

1 minute ago, Mice! said:

Which will kill anything growing as well as it washes away,  my mum tried that,  killed the slugs as well though. 

If he puts it on the 4 inch gravel channels it will stop them and wash down the drain ?. 

Hand pickings the best way to go but not on a large property 

[Mice!]

1 minute ago, Bigbob said:

If he puts it on the 4 inch gravel channels it will stop them and wash down the drain ?. 

Hand pickings the best way to go but not on a large property 

Yes very true, my mum put it around her plants on the block paving, then it washed in and 'Salted the ground'

[Bigbob]

2 minutes ago, Mice! said:

Yes very true, my mum put it around her plants on the block paving, then it washed in and 'Salted the ground'

The only answer doing no damage is to get ducks , if you dont count the mess they do on slabs , mono block etc 

[old man]

3 or 4 bantams if you can contain them easily? Unlike ordinary chucks their feathered feet seem to stop too much ground disturbance?

[Dave-G]

I get invaded with loads every winter, it takes a few nightly slug hunts with a pair of scissors to get most of them gone by midsummer. Yes many climb the plastic conservatory walls.

[JohnfromUK]

You need hedgehogs.

[Yellow Bear]

43 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

You need hedgehogs.

Had them until the badgers moved into wood across road - not seen one since. 

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, Yellow Bear said:

Had them until the badgers moved into wood across road - not seen one since. 

Yes, badgers will kill them off.  We have a few of both around, but badgers have been much reduced (cull area).

[Imperfection]

Try attaching copper tape to your house. You will need to make a full circle so both ends touch but it does work. The copper tape naturally gives of static electricity and they dont like it. Try putting it very low down so its less noticeable.

Obviously you're gonna need many many rolls to complete the circuit so Amazon/Ebay?

[amateur]

26 minutes ago, Imperfection said:

...... The copper tape naturally gives of static electricity and they dont like it. ....

I don't believe that it is static electricity that is involved, but that the reaction between the slug slime and the copper deters them.

[JKD]

Only one person the OP needs to call,,,, Steven Seagal 👍🙅🤷🤛