Slug Traps
A Very Thorough Guide To Slug Traps
If you happen to live anywhere in the Northwest or some other area of the country that offers a lot of moisture, you will be in need of slug traps at some time. One single lawn prawn has the ability to remove one whole row of seedlings in your garden faster than you will probably realize that he is there. He can turn a perfectly healthy plant into something you don't even recognize overnight and be out of sight before morning.
As slugs journey through your garden, they leave behind them a disgusting trail of slime which is pretty much an invite for other slugs to follow. If you don't think that this causes a need for slug traps, maybe you should also know that they are hermaphrodites and they can produce a few dozen offspring, several times every year.
The egg clusters resemble whitish jelly with tiny balls. They hatch anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks later and they are born hungry. Not only that, they can reproduce pretty much right away. If you find piles of eggs, shake salt on them to get rid of them. You should also know that if you don't use slug traps and if you think they will simply go away on their one, they won't. In fact, they can live many years and they always keep growing in size as well as in appetite.
Organic Control
Cleaning your garden up is one of the most effective slug traps and the first step you have to take in this battle. Eliminate any area where they sleep, reproduce or simply hide.
- Pull your weeds.
- Remove any decaying matter out of your garden. You may feel as though those leaves you're leaving there are great mulch but slugs look at them as food and shelter.
- Cultivate your soil often, this will break the dirt clods up and stir up any slugs that have burrowed below the surface.
- Keep shaded areas under decks clean.
- Trim the edges of your lawn. Slugs will make themselves a home there.
Stale Beer And Salt
Stale beer and salt may very well be your best friends when you have a need for slug traps.
- Put some stale beer in a bowl and set it where you see the most slug activity. Slugs are attracted to the beer and then they drown.
- Get up and go out to your garden early in the morning when they are still active and shake your salt shaker all around.
Natural Barriers
- Place gravel chips or cedar bark around your plants. These are very irritating to slugs and will dehydrate them.
- Spread crushed eggshells around your plants. Slugs are destroyed by the sharp edges and the skills are good for your soil.
- There are many herbs that work to repel the slimy little creatures so you won't have to even deal with slug traps. Some that work well are wormwood, lemon balm, rosemary, tansy, mints, oak leaves, seaweed and needles from conifers.
- Sprinkle a little oat bran around. The slugs will eat it and die.
- Introduce toads, geese, ducks and even snakes to your garden. They will happily help control the slug population.
Poison
If your natural slug traps are not working and you must use chemicals, exercise extreme caution with them. You must be careful if you have pets that roam around your yard as well as any other innocent creatures that could get into your traps. Commercial slug bait is available as meal, powder, pellets, liquid, gel and granules. Every type has different instructions so be sure to read them carefully and thoroughly. You can either hand make them from empty plastic bottles or you can purchase disposable traps that cost a bit more but are well worth it.
American Banana Slug
The American banana slug is harmless so if he is in your garden there is absolutely no reason to kill him. He may not be pretty but he is a good slug who cleans decay out of the forest floor as well as your garden. He does have the ability to grow to be over 18 inches long and he is unsightly but he is a hard worker and one worth keeping around.