Shellless or slugs are a nuisance to gardeners; These small soft-bodied animals ("gastropods") crawl at night, eating the fruit and leaves of many types of plants. Instead of letting these animals take over your garden/park, take action to reduce the slugs that will destroy your plants. With a variety of techniques including bait and traps as well as using natural predators/predators to escape you from shellless snails, you will soon be free of the animal. Note that all of the following methods react equally well to shelled land snails/snails.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Making Traps and Hunting
Step 1. Use beer or milk traps for important crops
Snails without shells will know the existence of the trap only from a distance of about one meter. Thus these traps are best used for small gardens/gardens or areas of importance. Set up the trap as follows:
- Plant in the soil a high-sided cup/bowl. Leave about 1.25 cm of the rim of the cup/bowl above ground level to prevent the trap from killing beetles that hunt shellless slugs.
- Fill half the cup/bowl with beer or milk.
- Change beer/milk every few days. If the slugs climb out, replace them with a mixture of honey, yeast, and a little water, then simmer until they're sticky like glue.
Step 2. Kill the snail with a trap in the form of cornstarch
Cornstarch costs less, but probably won't attract as many snails. Place a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in a jar and place the jar resting on its side. Keep the cornstarch dry. Cornstarch will kill snails by expanding inside their bodies.
Step 3. Attract snails with friendly traps
Snails usually gather in damp, shady areas, such as under wooden planks, flower pots, or cardboard boxes. Attach these items and check daily for live slugs, then throw them away from your home. For best results, lure the animal to one of the following foods:
- Cabbage/cabbage leaves
- Orange peel, moisten with water
- Dried pet food
Step 4. Protect the trap from rain and pets
The water will damage the cornstarch as well as the liquid trap. Put a cover over the trap to prevent rainwater. If you have pets that might eat the bait, use a sturdy cover like an upside-down flowerpot with a small inlet.
Step 5. Do a snail hunt at night
While it's not a fun job, you may need to hunt down one snail at a time to deal with this onslaught of animals. Use a flashlight and put on disposable gloves, prick the snail with a stick/rod (wood, etc.) or put it in a bucket of soapy water. If you have one, a headlamp-a flashlight designed to be worn on the head-will free your hands, making hunting easier.
- Check the underside of the leaves.
- Follow any traces of dirt you find.
Method 2 of 4: Blocking Snails
Step 1. Keep your garden/garden dry
You won't see results right away, but keeping your garden/garden drier is the best way to control shellless snails in the long term. Here are some tactics to make your garden less hospitable to these moisture-loving nuisance pests:
- Water the plant early in the morning until noon, so the soil will dry out before nightfall.
- Set up a drip irrigation system - a method of watering by dripping water through perforated pipes installed around plants - to minimize water use.
- Free the lawn of debris, and mow the grass regularly.
- Remove organic mulch, such as straw or grass clippings.
- Separate the plants with a distance far enough to allow air circulation between the plants.
Step 2. Make mulch or dry leaf clippings from certain types of plants
The following planting preparations have the potential to deter slugs, if you can find them at your local gardening supply store:
- Spread oak mulch or tobacco stem flour as a barrier around the plant.
- New Chinese tea (wormwood/artemisia -herbal plant native to Europe), made by soaking artemisia pieces in warm water for 24 hours. Strain and mix with soapy water, then spray on the ground or directly on the snail's body.
Step 3. Make a barrier out of copper tape
Buy a copper foil tape that is wide enough so that the snail's body cannot cross it. Use copper tape to form a barrier around your plant or planting bed.
Children could have crossed the copper tape
Step 4. Spread the salt on a non-soil surface
Spread the salt on a non-soil surface where shellless slugs are crawling around. Salt kills by pulling / sucking fluid from the snail's body until it dries. Be careful, salt can easily kill plants and damage the soil. Use salt around the bottom of the pot on the veranda, or place a barrier in the soil beforehand to spread the salt while maintaining soil quality.
Avoid using salt in situations where it may come into contact with water (for example, when it is likely to be raining or sprinklers are running). Water can dissolve and wash the salt off the "safe" surface and seep into the soil and damage its quality
Step 5. Make a barrier in the form of traditional materials/medicines
Frustrated gardeners have tossed every chemical into their gardens to repel shellless slugs. The following are some of the best household solutions, but are unlikely to 100% deter slugs:
- Coffee grounds may have a mild effect on the health of your garden/garden.
- Coarse, sharp scrapes of sand may fight shellless slugs, but may not completely deter the animal.
- Algae/seaweed is not as effective as plain salt/iodine salt, but may be slightly safer for your soil. Calcified seaweed meal is better, if you can find it.
Step 6. Plant types of vegetation that will deter shellless snails
Several types of plants are believed to be able to repel unshelled snails because of their aroma, texture, or poison. Plant the plants following the position of the fence around your entire garden, or plant them close to each existing plant. The plant is not 100% immune, but will deter many snails from trying to get close to initial planting. Try some of the following species:
- Herbs: ginger, garlic, chive (a type of onion tree), mint, and chicory (a plant of the aster family).
- Vegetables: bitter greens are generally less attractive to shellless snails than sweet greens. Try growing leafy greens (like kale, spinach, etc.), spring cabbage/cabbage, or sprouted broccoli.
- Hosta varieties with blue leaves are more resistant.
- Flowers for full shade areas: Astilbe, Dicentra, Digitalis (foxglove), Lobelia, Viola (tricolor and violet varieties). Also Ranunculus/buttercups flowers - yellow, and poisonous - and tapak dara (Vinca) flowers, but these plants spread quickly.
- Flowers for areas of partial shade: Fireworks (Phlox), Campanula flowers (bellflowers), Hemerocallis/Daylily (not lilies). Also Mentha/peppermint -a type of herb, but this plant spreads quickly.
Step 7. Consider using stronger (but more dangerous) barriers
There are several types of materials that can kill shellless snails if they come into contact. These materials can be used to create barriers that effectively block the movement of snails, but must be used with care and kept dry. Improper use can harm your garden/park (and even humans or animals that use it). Be sure to use the material on a non-soil surface unless otherwise noted:
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Security warning:
Do not inhale the chemical or handle it with your bare hands. The chemical may not be suitable for gardens/parks where children and pets play.
- Diatomaceous earth -a type of flour made from fossilized single-celled algae: Possibly harmful to beneficial insects.
- Wood ash: Increases soil pH, which can affect plants.
- Hydrated lime: Increases soil pH greatly, can make the soil unsuitable for many types of plants.
- 1% caffeine spray: Spray directly on the plants you want to protect; kill shellless snails while they are eating plants. Can negatively impact some types of plants in unexpected ways.
Method 3 of 4: Using Natural Predators
Step 1. Remove some ground beetles
Ground beetles are natural predators for shellless snails. You can buy ground beetle larvae from garden supply stores and spread them around your garden/park in early spring. The larvae will develop into cocoons and emerge as beetles in the summer..
Alternatively, you can get wild beetles to live near your plants by providing a dry shelter under rocks, grass, or hay. This will allow the beetles to hide from their predators, making your garden/garden an attractive place to live. Incidentally, ground beetles can live anywhere snails can live too
Step 2. Take advantage of the birds
The largest natural predators of shellless snails are birds; ducks, chickens, magpies, jays, and various other species that generally like food in the form of shellless snails. If you're not too disgusted/fearful, you can pick up snails and throw them at the wild birds in the morning; Gradually, the birds will be conditioned to look for snails in your garden, and you won't have to 'bait' the predator for a long time. You can also allow your pet chicken or duck to eat snails from the garden/garden every day.
- Watch your chickens closely, as they may also eat your plants.
- Try to get birds to make nests in your garden by providing thick hedges or shrubs, as well as food and bird baths.
Step 3. Remove some of the frogs
Frogs love shellless snails. If you build a nest in the garden/park then these predators will eat snails and other nuisance pests from your plants. If you're trying to attract the wild frogs' attention, turn the pot or other container against the rock to create a dark hiding place for the wild frogs. If not, you can buy wild toads to release in the garden/park and let them eat snails every day. You can also add a small decorative pond as a place for frogs or frogs to live.
Do not keep fish in the pond, because the fish may eat the tadpoles/tadpoles
Step 4. If necessary, remove the nematodes (nematodes). Nematodes are very small parasitic worms that live in the soil. You can purchase a special nematode species for killing shellless slugs at your local gardening supply store. This predator will be very effective, but is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, all the slugs will be killed, while the predators (and nematodes) will either leave the garden area or disappear. If you don't reintroduce nematodes every few weeks, massive waves of shellless slugs will invade and take over the garden/garden just as the threat diminishes.
Nematodes should be removed in a directional manner. Usually nematodes spread above the soil surface, then decrease (disappear)
Method 4 of 4: Using Chemicals as a Control
Step 1. Spray the shellless snails with ammonia
You can make a snail repellent spray by making a solution of ammonia and water. Mix one part household ammonia with 6 parts water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle, and spray it directly on the snails whenever you see them. Be careful not to spray it directly on the plant, as it may slowly burn the leaves.
Step 2. Use iron phosphate granules/pellets (iron phosphate)
These tiny shellless slug killer granules can be purchased at gardening supply centers, for spreading around your yard. Snails are attracted to the iron phosphate grains, but as soon as they eat them they die within a week. They are safe for most pets and edible plants, but it's a good idea to minimize their use.
Several commercial brands of iron phosphate pellets, such as Sluggo, Slug Magic, and Escar-Go
Step 3. Try metaldehyde. Metaldehyde is a common anti-snail drug-a molluscide-but has limitations. In particular, metaldehyde can be very toxic to pets (especially dogs).
Proper handling and storage of the bait is essential to avoid a dangerous situation for the family pet.
- Avoid metaldehyde in "pill" form, which can be confused with pet drugs. Instead, use "fine-grain" metaldehyde.
- Store metaldehyde in a place where your dog can't reach it.
- Do not use the drug near edible plants.
- Spread the metaldehyde evenly, never in mounds, which could make pets mistaken for food.
- Metaldehyde reacts best on a warm, dry day, but cannot be used in the sun. Use under foliage in the afternoon before the warm weather forecast.
- Look for low-dose metaldehyde products that have less environmental impact.
Tips
- Spray a lubricating fluid, such as WD40, around the bottom of the bathtub placed on the patio about 5 or 7 inches up the sides. The material will last a while even during rainy weather. Spray twice a year.
- If you're hunting shellless slugs by hand, look for them in the late evening, especially when the night is damp/wet, or catch them early in the morning.
- Try feeding shellless snails with some nut butter surrounded by salt.
Warning
- There is some controversy about whether or not iron phosphate pellets contain ingredients that create a toxic/toxic combination when used. Reportedly these pellets contain EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid - Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid, which is a type of anti-agglutination / coagulant) and which is listed as an inert element (hard to react chemically).
- Many types of snail bait that are advertised as safe products actually contain toxins that can injure or kill several types of invertebrates (invertebrates) including earthworms.
- Shellless snails are mollusks (soft-bodied animals), not insects, so ordinary insecticides will not react.
