Slugs

Slugs are the gardener's worst nightmares. Impossible to get rid of once and for all, you need to keep up a constant battle to keep them under control. It pays to know your slugs! That way you can combat them effectively with Nemaslug, your natural nematode pest control - environmentally friendly and safe for children, pets and wildlife.

• Using nematodes - Nemaslug
• Know your slugs
• Slimy slug facts
• Recognising slug damage
• Nature's allies in slug control
• Other methods of slug control

Using nematodes - Nemaslug:

• Nemaslug controls all common species of small to medium sized slugs (up to 8cm - 2.5-3 inches). Start your control regime early and you will be able to target the young slugs growing under the ground feeding on humus.
• Nemaslug uses the nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, which was discovered by scientists at the government research institute at Bristol, England.
• One application of Nemaslug provides 300,000 nematodes for every square metre of soil, giving at least six weeks control of slugs. This is generally enough time for seedlings and bedding plants to get well established.
• Nemaslug is easy to apply [click here for full details] and does not leave any unsightly residues.
• Slugs treated with Nemaslug will stop feeding in 3 days and die in about a week. The majority of the slugs will die underground, so don't expect to see dead slugs lying around.
• Apply Nemaslug to moist soil. The soil temperature should be 5ºC (40ºF) or over (this is also when plants start to grow). Nematodes are capable of surviving the odd frost; so don't worry if the temperature falls after you have applied Nemaslug. Metaldehyde based slug pellets are reported not to be effective below 7ºC.
• Potatoes are susceptible to slug attack later in the season than most other plants. So you can delay applying Nemaslug till 6-7 weeks before harvest, when the tubers are most likely to be eaten by slugs.
• Unlike some controls, Nemaslug continues to work well during wet weather - exactly when you need protection against slugs!
• Nemaslug might affect water snails. To avoid harming them keep the treatment 15 cm (6") away from ponds.
• If you have a heavy clay area, ensure you apply Nemaslug to well worked soil. Nemaslug is less effective on cloggy clay soil, which has not been worked and/or has become waterlogged.
• Nemaslug comes in pack sizes to treat 40 sq.m (50 sq.yds) and 100 sq.m (125 sq.yds).
• To Order Nemaslug Slug Killer click here.

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Know your slugs:

The Grey Field Slug - The most common and serious slug pest. Highly variable in colour (but usually light grey or fawn) it measures 3 cm (1.5 inches).

The Garden Slug - Similar in size to the grey field slug, but with a much tougher skin. Usually darker in colour (grey to black), with their underside a distinctive yellow, which also characterises their slime trail.

The Keeled Slug - Grey in colour, with a ridge down the back they are generally larger than the Grey Field Slug (about 2.5 inches or 6 to 7 cm). On the whole they are regarded as mainly subterranean in behaviour, living and feeding under ground.

The Black Slug - This one is a bit of a whopper, measuring up to 8 inches (20 cm) and is black in colour (but the young stages can be yellowish with dark tentacles). As such, it can be very conspicuous in your garden. Due to its large size, its body volume to surface area ratio is far greater than the smaller slug species, making it less prone to desiccation (dehydration). Therefore, you are more likely to see this slug during the daytime when compared to the other species. This may lead gardeners to conclude that this is the most common slug in their garden and is causing all the damage, when in reality the real menace (the Grey Field Slug and/or the Garden Slug) is resting underground. There are also some sub species of this slug that are similar in most respects, except that they have a distinctive reddish brown to yellow colour.

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Slimy slug facts:

• Britain is the slug capital of the world.
• Our moist climate without the extremes of hot or cold is ideal for them.
• Each cubic metre of soil contains on average up to 200 slugs.
• Slugs are hermaphrodite (have both male and female sex organs).
• Each slug lays about 300 eggs in batches of up to 50 in crevices in the soil.
• They hatch in 3 weeks in the spring, whilst eggs laid in the autumn can over-winter before hatching.
• Slug eggs are slightly oval in shape, white in colour and measure 2-3 mm in diameter.
• Each Grey Field Slug can have up to 90,000 grandchildren.
• Slugs have approximately 25,000 teeth.
• Slugs consume around twice their own body weight each day. If you consider that an average slug weighs 0.1 oz, it will consume an amazing 1.75 lbs of plant material in a growing season.
• Young slugs tend to stay underground, feeding on humus (decaying organic matter). This creates an unseen menace, developing out of sight and just waiting for your young seedlings to be planted.
• Slugs breed all year round. There are two overlapping generations usually with peaks of egg laying in March-April and September-October.
• In northern Europe the life cycle takes 12-15 months.

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Recognising slug damage:

• Look for irregular holes with smooth edges on leaves.
• Nearby will be evidence of their slime trials. They are particularly fond of succulent seedlings, which when left unprotected, can be totally destroyed in a single night.
• As well as attacking the leafy parts of plants, slugs will also feast on your fruit and vegetable crop. Slugs will chew holes in your ripening strawberries and tomatoes.
• If your seeds do not seem to have germinated, it is possible that slugs have devoured the emerging seedlings underground.
• Slugs love potatoes, which are of course grown underground, so you cannot see them being attacked.

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Nature's allies in slug control:

• Don't forget that using nematodes will not harm wildlife, so will work in harmony with nature.
• Many song birds thrive on a slug diet Therefore, you can make your garden attractive to them by providing nest boxes and areas of dense shrubbery (shelter for them to escape from their own predators, like sparrow hawks).
• Hedgehogs love feeding on slugs. Their nocturnal activity means they easily capture slugs feeding on plants at night. Hedgehogs need ground cover to rest and hibernate. A favourite resting place is the compost heap, so take care when moving your heap and check there are no hedgehogs.
• Frogs and toads have a high dependency on slugs in their diet. Providing a garden pond helps to encourage them into your garden.
• Some insects are also important predators of slugs, for example, ground beetles. Ground beetles represent a number of large ground dwelling beetle species, which are usually black in colour. These fast running insects are voracious feeders on slugs and their eggs. They can also be present in large numbers providing a substantial army targeted against the common foe. Because they feed on slug eggs, they can reduce slug populations before they have inflicted any damage whatsoever. To encourage these important insects, you should provide areas for them to shelter like logs and stones scattered around the garden and possibly under bushes.
• The effect of all the above can have a significant impact on the slug population. However, it is important to ensure that your garden is safe for these allies. Of particular concern are chemicals as some can be toxic to these animals. Therefore, if you use them in your garden and/or leave them lying around, you run the risk of harming them and their ability to contribute to controlling your pests.

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Other methods of slug control:

• Most slug killers are applied to the surface of the soil. Slugs spend most of their time underground, coming up at night to feed. Sometimes they won't come up at all if they can feed on potatoes and newly planted seeds as they germinate.
• Most slug pellets contain metaldehyde, which irritates the slug causing it to produce more mucus leading to death by dehydration. However, slugs can lose up to half of their body weight by dehydration but can still recover within two hours of exposure to water.
• Some slug pellets contain methiocarb. This chemical is a non-selective carbamate that acts as a stomach poison and is generally more toxic to other organisms such as birds and hedgehogs.
• Slug pellets can provide good localised control at the point of application, but beware:
• They need to be re-applied at regular intervals to replenish the active chemical, taking up valuable gardening time.
• There maybe some limitation in the effectiveness of these products during wet weather.
• There are increasing concerns about the effects of these chemicals on wildlife and pets. A guide dog has died from eating slug pellets.
• Take care not to apply pellets over the recommended rate on the packet if you want to lower the risk to pets and wildlife.
• These products have clearly labelled warnings stating they can kill if eaten and that they should be kept away from children and pets. It is therefore, important to store and use chemicals safely.
• There are also various barrier and capture methods, some of which work better than others. However, they nearly all rely on the slugs being above ground to be effective.
• Nemaslug Slug Killer, part of the Nemasys range, is the simple solution for slug control in your garden that is safe for children, pets and wildlife.
• A regular regime of using Nemaslug every six weeks is the best way to keep slugs at bay throughout the growing season.

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