How do i get rid of slugs?

Competition 2CVs are known as racing snails.
 
I used to gather the slugs and snails from my garden (25ft from the back of the house) and deposit them in the miserable old bag downstairs front garden!

..... and then have a chuckle to myself as she complained to all and sundry how bad they were this year! :D
 
Tigger.ufo said:
I used to gather the slugs and snails from my garden (25ft from the back of the house) and deposit them in the miserable old bag downstairs front garden!

..... and then have a chuckle to myself as she complained to all and sundry how bad they were this year! :D
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That's just wicked :LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
Tigger.ufo said:
I used to gather the slugs and snails from my garden (25ft from the back of the house) and deposit them in the miserable old bag downstairs front garden!

..... and then have a chuckle to myself as she complained to all and sundry how bad they were this year! :D
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If you'd dabbed 'em with paint, I think you'd have been surprised at how many times you brought the same ones round...
 
Could gather them up and launch them with a catapult or smal canon....hours of fun :)
 
They (slugs) are apparently good bait for Chub and Catfish.
 
The same people who like drowning worms and pulling (sometimes slimy) animals out of their natural habitat with a sharp piece of metal through their mouth parts.
 
No help inside the house but I'm thinking of getting a couple of chickens for the back garden, does anyone know if they eat slugs?

Also are chickens safe from cats?
 
Swissy said:
No help inside the house but I'm thinking of getting a couple of chickens for the back garden, does anyone know if they eat slugs?

Also are chickens safe from cats?
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The various large and small chickens I have kept refused to eat slugs but as they were free ranging in the garden they could pick and choose so maybe if they are kept in a run and fed slugs they will gobble them up. Chickens, even very small bantams will do a lot of damage to plants in pots and borders in a small garden because of scratching and dust bathing. Ducks (I have Runners) love slugs of any size or kind but in my experience eat a lot of plant foliage too.
Keep chickens or ducks for their own sake rather than for pest control because I don’t think it works in a garden situation.
Small bantams are definitely not safe from cats unless they can outrun them or fly. I’ve never had a problem with large fowl and cats but then cats don’t come into my garden in daylight or if they do they don’t last long ;-)
 
Update on my slug problem.

Well after lots of hard work i finally moved into my late parents house, my son in law laid a new floor for me, the self leveling screed he used filled every hole in the floor and along the edges of the skirting board, i also sprayed the house with an insecticide kindly recommended by one of the members of this forum and all seemed well, no sign of any slugs 3 months, success, or so i thought.

Came down this morning and my living room rug has a slug trail all over it, i could cry lol.

The trail seems to start and finish from under my settee, i've pulled the settee out and there are no gaps at all where anything could get in, i'm at a loss as to where it's come from and where it goes to.
 
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Then the best bet is salt all around the edges of the outside walls. You can always hoover it up later. The corpse pile will narrow down the entry points. They're cunning little gits. Is there an open fireplace in that room?
 
srichards said:
Then the best bet is salt all around the edges of the outside walls. You can always hoover it up later. The corpse pile will narrow down the entry points. They're cunning little gits. Is there an open fireplace in that room?
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There is an open fireplace, but the trails i see are nowhere near it? It's a battle of wits now between the slug and me :)
 
How about moving the sofa out the way for the night and lay down concentric circles of salt radiating out from the wall where you think they are coming from, will help pinpoint the spot quicker if not a little OTT.
 
bass_junkie83 said:
How about moving the sofa out the way for the night and lay down concentric circles of salt radiating out from the wall where you think they are coming from, will help pinpoint the spot quicker if not a little OTT.
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That's a good idea, even though it's not clear where it's coming from, worth a try tonight, thanks.
 
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Get a pet hedgehog
 
Swissy said:
Update on my slug problem.

Well after lots of hard work i finally moved into my late parents house, my son in law laid a new floor for me, the self leveling screed he used filled every hole in the floor and along the edges of the skirting board, i also sprayed the house with an insecticide kindly recommended by one of the members of this forum and all seemed well, no sign of any slugs 3 months, success, or so i thought.

Came down this morning and my living room rug has a slug trail all over it, i could cry lol.

The trail seems to start and finish from under my settee, i've pulled the settee out and there are no gaps at all where anything could get in, i'm at a loss as to where it's come from and where it goes to.
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Maybe it's in the settee!
 
Slugs and their trails are easier to clear up than duck s***!
 
Swissy said:
Trust me it's crossed my mind, either that or a duck, i believe they love to eat slugs too.

I've thought of that as well.
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You beat me to it on the duck, but yes they love slugs. If it’s been wet weather where you are it’s just possible that it’s a one off that’s wandered in. It could also be a snail so you might find it curled up somewhere in the daytime.
 
Nod said:
Slugs and their trails are easier to clear up than duck s***!
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Actually since I’ve been keeping ducks I’ve not found that the sh1t is a problem, rather to my surprise. But they do make a lot of muddy holes if they find a where damp.
 
It is on carpets.
 
Swissy said:
i also sprayed the house with an insecticide kindly recommended by one of the members of this forum and all seemed well, no sign of any slugs 3 months, success, or so i thought.
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If you haven't vacuumed and removed the " dried product" from the carpet, the chances are it's broken down after 3 months anyway.
Sometimes it take more than one application, but give the salt a try as per above suggestion first.
Oh and they can squeeze through the tiniest gaps,. Why do they do it? I've not a clue.
Especially as they like damp conditions and carpets aren't exactly damp.

I can't remember, did we establish, as to whether or not, there was a cellar in the property?They love these.
 
No cellar mate, there is a big damp patch in the pantry under the stairs, which i need to sort out, and the back wall where my settee is backs onto that pantry, i have looked many times and never seen any evidence in the pantry though.

I know they can squeeze through tiny gaps, but behind the settee there are no gaps at all, i've triple checked.
 
Swissy said:
No cellar mate, there is a big damp patch in the pantry under the stairs, which i need to sort out, and the back wall where my settee is backs onto that pantry, i have looked many times and never seen any evidence in the pantry though.
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Any cracks or crevices at floor level in the pantry?
I would suggest that if you spray again, then soak the floor to wall joint, as this is possibly the source,
Or if trying salt first, run a line along the pantry opening.. and around the door frames, ( if there is one that is)
 
Cobra said:
Any cracks or crevices at floor level in the pantry?
I would suggest that if you spray again, then soak the floor to wall joint, as this is possibly the source,
Or if trying salt first, run a line along the pantry opening.. and around the door frames, ( if there is one that is)
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Will try that tonight cheers, do you mean around the bottom of the door frames?
 
Swissy said:
Will try that tonight cheers, do you mean around the bottom of the door frames?
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Spraying, where the wall meets the floor. and the bottoms of door frames
Salting, across the bottom of the door, ( if there is one) and also around the door frames where they meet the floor.
 
Ok i'll do that tonight, i also keep meaning to set my alarm and to get up in the early hours and see if i can actually catch the bugger.


Thanks
 
Swissy said:
i also keep meaning to set my alarm and to get up in the early hours and see if i can actually catch the bugger.
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Trouble is you have no idea what time it / they are likely to make an appearance.
If it was me, I'd sleep in and let the salt take the strain :D

I've no idea if it'll work on / with slugs, but when trying to trace rodents we use "Tracking dust"
Its not unlike talcum powder, but I'm not sure if slugs will cross it though, as it'll dehydrate them.
 
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Cobra said:
Trouble is you have no idea what time it / they are likely to make an appearance.
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Outside, I've found they tend to start appearing at dusk. Inside, they wait 'til the lights turn off and it gets quiet. If you catch them out, you can watch them U-turn and run for their hidey hole.
They seem to wander around until they've eaten their fill for the day, so if there's nothing but odd crumbs lying around, the trails will be all over the place. If there's a cold chip waiting for them, the trails will head straight for that, then back the way they came.
For something that doesn't have a nose, they seem to have an excellent sense of smell.
Cobra said:
Oh and they can squeeze through the tiniest gaps,. Why do they do it? I've not a clue.
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It's a useful survival trait:
 
Cobra said:
Why do they do it? I've not a clue.
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Tori_T said:
It's a useful survival trait:
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Actually I meant come inside from the outside.

Tori_T said:
Outside, I've found they tend to start appearing at dusk.
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If only :( I find them in my garden at all times of the day.

But I agree, like mice, they tend to wait until it all goes quiet inside, before coming in, but there are so many variables to that,
are they already there? in which case it could be a few minutes before appearing.
If they are off visiting relatives it could be a few hours, before they make it inside.
 
It would appear if they come inside, and find a regular source of food, they don't bother leaving, they just hole up while the humans are stomping around, and come out when we're gone.
Our office slugs; cleaner came in first thing in the morning, but staff were buying in stuff from the breakfast batch bar, and the chippy during the day, so sluggy had all evening/night to do a tour of the bins and stuff it's face.
It took months to catch the first one, and in that time, we had to watch the slime trails getting wider, as sluggy got fatter on bacon rind and chips.

Working late, you never saw them; they were all caught around 10-11pm, when we had reason to return to the office after it'd closed.
When we knew we'd be doing that, we'd get someone to empty the bins before they went home, and to put a saved chip under a paper towel in the middle of the floor. Sluggy was always under the towel, munching.
 
Tori_T said:
Outside, I've found they tend to start appearing at dusk. Inside, they wait 'til the lights turn off and it gets quiet. If you catch them out, you can watch them U-turn and run for their hidey hole.
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There’s the solution, just leave the lights on and they’ll starve to death :):)
 
i used to get trails in my garage but never in the house (it is attached). It was driving me mad as I'd regularly go in there late at night, they were toying with me. Anyway, in a two week spell I chased 3 down and murdered them with salt, and that has seen them off. There were loads of trails but it seems there was only three of the little scamps.
 
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