[adri123]

Hi

I'm about to put in some slug defences (9 volt electric wires around top of raised beds as seen on youtube) but I want to clear out any slugs/eggs before setting it up.

Can anyone suggest a reasonable way of clearing out other than the rather expensive nematodes?  If not then I suppose I could set it up and just go down and slugwatch for a while...

TIA

Adri

[mumofstig]

The slugs come up through the soil, even with a barrier around the outside - it will stop snails though.

[adri123]

OH!!!  Didn't know that.  I know that if they are in there then they will lay their eggs in the soil but I had hoped that if I clear a bed and have the 9v fence it would prevent them getting back in.  I have paths between the beds with gravel on top of weed fabric.

hmmm...need to think some more then....

[adri123]

So if I did somehow clear out all slugs and eggs from a raised bed and then put in the electric fence would they tunnel their way back in?

[Baldy]

I doubt you could stop them... maybe if your beds are laying on top of concrete... that might slow them down.. a bit... for a while... maybe...

Pip pip,
Balders

[Kevin67]

Something like this may just help....

(Source: Google images)

[cadalot]

I'm just going to make lots of the pop bottle beer and pellet of death traps and have at least two traps a bed. I have started peppering them around the plot today to try and eradicate as many of the little blighters as possible and slow down the egg production. Any eggs I find will be placed on a tray on the table for my neighbourhood robin to feast upon.

[Kevin67]

I've never seen slug's eggs - 'til now...

(source: http://www.ruralramblings.com/slug-and-eggs/ )

[grinling]

beetles eat slugs, but you will need to release them as they cannot climb out.
some slugs eat slugs.

[Baldy]

This is one - you really don't this even if it does eat other slugs - (for once the 'others' have my pity)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_slug
http://www.slugwatch.co.uk/?page_id=174

Pip pip,
Balders

[adri123]

@cadalot

Any info on how to make the bottles of death?

TIA

Adri

[adri123]

Yep.  Spanish slugs are what we've got...loads of em!!!

[Baldy]

Cadders has put a post up under frugal living about his traps:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=117376.0

I'm glass-blowing mine - only way to win his respect

Pip pip,
Balders

(I haven't looked into the spread of spanish slugs - but I had an inkling they weren’t in your neck of the woods adri - might be some sort of slug notification GCHQ thing that would be interested in that info.)

[adri123]

How about emptying the bottles of death?  It looks like if you get a full trap it might be tricky to empty.

[Baldy]

Put a new trap in - tie the old one (full of dead slugs) to some sort of pole.
Dance around said pole (possibly naked - depends on your plot committee)...

Slugs are (not legally) guaranteed to run a mile... 

Pip pip,
Balders