Please choose safer slug pellets.

Please use slug pellets that contain ferric phosphate rather than metaldehyde.

Metaldehyde is very toxic and remains in the soil for a long time. It kills hedgehogs.

Ferric phosphate is safe for all mammals but kills slugs.

We all know how pleasing it is to see obviously tortured bodies of dead slugs on the surface that you get with metaldehyde.

Ferric phosphate is different in that the slugs creep away to die without any spectacular display of death. If the pellets are being eaten slugs are dying.

No disaster. People on another post talking of applying pellets, so I thought I would remind everyone that there is a good alternative to highly toxic metaldehyde. Why is it still allowed to be sold?

The other thing, while I am at it. Whatever you choose to use, it only requires a pellet every few inches to be effective. I do hate to see piles of the stuff.

I have ben reading reports that Metaldehyde is now affecting our water , and new restrictions on application have been introduced. They have reduced the maximum amount used per acre and not within 6 m of a watercourse, The situation is being monitored, the concern being that it is very difficult to remove it from our drinking water.

Application is usually on the ground surface but some people use it in potato trenches. I always thought that the poison has to be eaten, so I fail to see how it can work in the ground. By the time the potatoes have grown, the metaldehyde will have been leached from the soil.

Ferric Phosphate may have its own problems. Tests on how it affects earthworms show that it may inhibit growth.

I couldn't agree more Salmo. Had my lotty 5 years now and never used any slug pellets. But see so many people use them like they are going out of fashion. I put in a small wildlife pond and area to encourage our amphibian friends, use copper collars or egg shells around vulnerable plants and constantly have at least 15 to 20 small glass jar beer (substitute) traps on the go. These get 100's of the little fella every week even through winter. Slugs still get through but keeps em down.

so     if u put a pellet every few inches......i pellet is eaten by 1 slug    and you have lots of slugs  how does that work

I have a 'hog friendly garden - but it's more difficult on modern small allotment plots.
Slugs, snails and weed seeds and roots! don't have to travel far from the plot next door 

Except that nematodes are not supposed to work on clay soils which is all that we have round here ....