Beer and slugs

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi,
We've know about this organic remedy for some time. However it wasn't until last night that Grace place a small container with about 4 oz of beer into a small hole by the sunflowers.

This morning we looked. We counted nearly 30 slugs, each between 1/2" to 3/4", sitting at the bottom.

We used Michelob Ultra...so obviously slugs are not very discriminating.

Anyhow, we're going to buy some cheaper beer and sit traps all over the garden this week.

Regards,
Chuck

[Radu]

You must either have some really alcoholic slugs there or very dumb ones because here the two times I've tried it didn't work. Just some flies fell in.

[gregorach]

I think it depends on what type of container you use... I never had much luck with cut-down milk bottles - I think the slugs could still get out of them. Been meaning to try something else for ages, since I'm never short of stale, yeasty dregs from the bottom of my kegs... There's also the problem of keeping the rain out. These days I mostly rely on Nemaslug to keep them under control.

[greenorelse]

It's the other insects - other than slugs, that is - that made us give up on beer traps.

Yes, they catch slugs but they catch beneficial creatures too.

[grahamhobbs]

We've used beer traps, I just put a small bit of cheap french beer in the bottom of the small bottles french beer comes in, laid on their side with the opening just off the ground, this helps prevent other insects climbing in. Sometimes it can be very successful, sometimes (most times dammit) they just go for your seedlings first.

For the size of my plot, Nemaslug would be horrendously expensive and the time I tried the 'organic' slug pellets the mice or rats just hoovered them up overnight.

I've tried laying copper pipe around my beans but that did seem to have much benefit.

Now I rely on nothing except i grow my seedlings in modules and only plant out after they have reached a good size and are thoroughly hardened off, this usually prevents major damage by slugs. Planting out when the weather is dry is best and only watering in the morning also helps.

[Tru&Ad]

We grow our peas, strawberries and tumbling toms in hanging baskets. Slugs can't get to them and also it stops the dogs "helping" water them !!!

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi,
Let's just call it "beginner's luck". Grace is out setting about 10 more traps around various locations in the garden. We'll take a look tomorrow to examine the results. Of course she's using a different brand of beer (Icehouse).

Here are a couple of pictures. The first shows the placement of the container with beer and the second shows our trophies.





Regards,
Chuck

[confused]

Let us know how you get on

[gregorach]

Of course she's using a different brand of beer (Icehouse).

Its' OK, they're usually not too fussy...

[chuck_n_grace]

Update

Grace set out 8 more slug traps yesterday afternoon. About 2 hours after sunset we went to the garden with a flashlight and found about 15 slugs (large and small ones) creeping up on the beer. We left them alone to see what would happen.

This morning, only 1 slug had drowned in his beer. The others were gone....and so was some of my beer.

Lesson Learned: It's very easy to attract slugs in the garden with beer. It's another thing to trap them all.

Tonight, if it doesn't rain, we'll go out 3 hours after sunset and collect all slugs that we can find. Then we'll repeat this process for several days to see what happens to the slug population.

On a side note, I'm not giving up on the traps per se. I need to design one that prevents those slimey things from crawling back out. Any ideas?

Regards,
Chuck

[grahamhobbs]

Chuck, I use small beer bottles, finding the way out once in must be more difficult but also it is also less likely to loose beer by evaporation. I also put a roofing tile over the top to keep it cool, keeping the beer in condition longer and making it even more attractive to slugs. I often find slugs just under the tile and around the bottle (sleeping off their hangover?)

I know when you start gardening you just think how can I can I kill the b.........ds but you also need to think why are there so many and what is their role in the garden. To me they are natures way of eliminating weakness and for us gardeners they are our task masters - leave the garden untidy, grass uncut, clumps of weeds left unattended, weak or unhealthy plants put out and the task master will swoop and destroy.

[chuck_n_grace]

Graham,
I like the tile idea. If I'm going to get these little buggers drunk I should, being responsible, give them a place to sleep it off.

Update
Last night we went outside around 11pm and collected about 15 slugs that were hanging around the local pub. Some were pretty large. I had forgotten how smushy those things were between my fingers. Grace did hold a cup with a small amount of old beer, and the slugs were placed inside one at a time. They don't live long immersed in beer.

So a dark cover or tile sounds very interesting.

Thanks,
Chuck

[cocobelle]

My friend has all sorts growing in his garden, so he's in slug hunting mode at the moment. Every night he goes out with his torch protecting his garden. "Caught them at it again" he says when he comes back in.

[demi]

you can also try putting a ring of salt round the seedlings. if the slugs/snails cross it they explode.

[greenishfingers]

My other half loves pistachio nuts,so when he's munched his way through a bag he smashes up the shells and i put them in a ring around the most vulnerable plants Despite it being quite wet here the last couple of weeks,had nothing but wind,rain or usually both,the slugs have kept away,hopefully due to the extra-sharp barriers.