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61. Next time you eat a grapefruit don't compost the leftover "bowls" immediately. Put them upside down on the veg patch, providing a pleasantly citrus scented sun shelter for the slugs. You can then pick up the shell dispose of the collected slugs as you see fit (add the grapefruit to the compost when it starts to go mouldy).

NO!!! My goats love grapefruit...

Not a good idea for me, then.

I fantasise about having raised beds with copper strips run continuously around the top of each one and each strip connected to the mains. The only problems I forsee with this are a) cat deaths and b) not being able to sleep for the sound of exploding slugs - rather like popcorn I imagine..

Hillbilly wrote:

I fantasise about having raised beds with copper strips run continuously around the top of each one and each strip connected to the mains.

Why stop at the mains? Bring on the National Grid.

I've imagined doing similar but to deal with squirrels rather than slugs. What I'd really like to be able to do is convince the squirrels to go for slugs and do a bit of weeding on the side rather than acting like large, bushy tailed rats! However, I suspect that neither booby trapping the garden or reaching a new level of harmony with nature is likely to happen (although, at least, this years squirrels seem less destructive than last years lot).

Anyway, if we're allowed a few fantasy suggestions, I'll go with squads of slug hunting ninja squirrels....

Wulf

oddballdave wrote: 59. Cat food in a dish will be more desirable than cabbage or lettuce, also encourages hedgehogs.

...and rats...

hedgewizard wrote:

oddballdave wrote: 59. Cat food in a dish will be more desirable than cabbage or lettuce, also encourages hedgehogs.

...and rats...

...and it will be round the neighbourhood in no time at all that YOUR garden offers not only free beer, but also food!

Slugparty!!!

(I had a slug in the kitchen once, emptying the cat bowl...)

I can top that. While we were looking for somewhere to buy we rented a 1600s cottage in need of renovation and used to get slugs upstairs. One night there was a three inch slug on the lav seat but it was dark and I didn't see it and... well, if you think getting slug innards out of a blender is difficult, try that!

...I can still hear the noise it made... *shudders*

1. Put them in a bag with some noodles and take them to your nearest chinese takeaway and say you are returning the special chowmein since it tastes funny! this could even be profitable!

2. Borrow my cat Yoshi he loves them.

3. Petrol and a match

4. Hire a small plane or glider and drop them from 30,000 ft.

5. Take party popper, with care remove cardboard lid, remove streamers, remove propellent cover and remove with care propellent and fuse. do this with 4 party poppers then add more holes to one party popper case, then feeding all 4 fuses and propellents into the one case, replace propellent cap, add 1 slug and replace lid. Now point the slug gun at anything eg. neighbours windows, and pull all 4 fuses together, way better then streamers and can keep males at barbecues happy for hours.

hedgewizard wrote:I can top that. While we were looking for somewhere to buy we rented a 1600s cottage in need of renovation and used to get slugs upstairs. One night there was a three inch slug on the lav seat but it was dark and I didn't see it and... well, if you think getting slug innards out of a blender is difficult, try that!

...I can still hear the noise it made... *shudders*

Urghhh. Nasty, but I think I can top that.

Earlier this year, I was digging a hole to bury my recently-dead pet rabbit, Spitfire. As the this patch of ground was covered with ivy, I was breaking the 'branches' (if you can call them that) as I dug. Somehow I managed to flick a shovel-load of soil towards my head and subsequently got mud in my eye. I went into the house to remove the dirt, but found no dirt. Instead, a baby slug came out of my eye....

Wuh-hurrrgh.... funny, there's always someone worse off that yourself.

Indeed! Maybe I should tell the locals to give up eating snails? Fortunately, I haven't tried them and after reading that, I do not intend to.

Probably been mentioned before but a good time to put hedgehog boxes out.Dont buy them because they are a rip off at nearly £40. Just a wooden box with a hole in it.
And with Christmas coming ( got a family bet going about when the first Christmas advert will be on tv - my money on Nov 1st) will get all my friends and family to save their pine needles from their trees which acts as a great barrier.

Been touched on before(Stonehead) but have found keeping a raised edge round beds so beetles can catch slugs helped.
Cross reference here..use half a 2 litre pop bottle sunk in ground for your beer trap. 2 101's for the price of 1!

make a snailtopia

you will need on of these kind washing baskets:

http://www.choiceful.com/ebay/ebayimage/22868.jpg

fill it with leaves and things slugs like to eat, put a large dish or lid filed with water under it. now any slugs you find pick up an put in it. they will quite happily munch away. each week poor water tho it and collect any that comes out the bottom it is really good plant food :D