Control and prevent slugs

During the day you will encounter many snails in the garden. The most common species are the common garden snail and the white-edged garden snail. Snails mainly eat dead leaves and are therefore not that harmful in the garden.

Slugs, on the other hand, emerge at night or after rain and cause damage to plants.

The red road slug and the black road slug are common. The largest slug you can encounter in the garden is the tiger snail, a slug with lots of spots.

In the spring, from March to April, slugs lay eggs underground in piles of 20 to 30. The eggs look like small, white ping-pong balls. After three weeks, small slugs hatch from the eggs. It takes two months for the slugs to mature and be able to mate. Slugs are called hermaphrodites, which means they are male and female at the same time. So they can fertilize each other and both lay eggs.

In addition to spring, the slugs also lay eggs in the fall.

In general, snails eat dead plant material, which is very useful in the garden! The snails that cause the most damage in the garden are the slugs. Slugs prefer large, juicy leaves, such as those of hosta, lettuce, cabbage or pumpkin.

Phasma nematodes are an effective method of controlling slugs. These small roundworms are barely visible with the naked eye and live in the soil. When they encounter a slug, they parasitize the slug and release a bacterium that kills the slug. Mixing Phasma with water and applying it with a watering can to the garden soil or in the vegetable garden container is an easy way to apply them. In this way, they can help to naturally keep the slug population under control.

Which plants do slugs not like? Slugs dislike plants with a strong odor or rough texture. Some plants that slugs often avoid are: sage, lavender, garlic, delphinium, spurge, marigolds, marigolds and yarrow.

It is important to note that no plant is completely irresistible to slugs, especially when they are hungry and no other food sources are available. Combining different strategies, such as using barriers, snails' natural enemies, and regular manual removal, can work best to protect your plants.

Making a snail trap with beer
Snails and slugs are attracted to the smell of beer. This means you can trap snails with it. Take a cup or bowl and fill it with beer. Any type of beer can be used, as long as it contains alcohol. Dig the container or dish so that the edge is level with the ground or just slightly above it. At night the snails will come to the trap, crawl into the beer and drown.

The disadvantage of this method is that other creatures can also drown in the trap and that snails are also killed, although they do not cause much damage.

Repel snails with copper wire or copper tape
Wherever snails go, they leave a trail of slime. When slugs and snails come into contact with copper, they receive a small electric shock from their moist snail mucus. You can repel snails by attaching copper tape or copper wire to plant pots or vegetable garden containers.

NB! Slugs can lift themselves over the wire or tape. Therefore, make sure that the barrier is wide enough.

Fight snails with ducks or chickens
Do you have chickens in the garden? Or maybe even runner ducks? Then feed the slugs to your pets! They will thank you.

Repel snails with eggshells
One method to repel snails is to use eggshells. Break the eggshells and sprinkle them around the plant(s) you want to protect. The sharp edges of the eggshells will puncture the snail's soft body and act as a barrier against the snail.

A disadvantage of this method is that you will have to repeat it over and over again. Also, the eggshells do not always work and some snails will still crawl over them.