Some birds, frogs, toads, hedgehogs, slow-worms and ground beetles eat slugs and these predators should be encouraged in gardens. Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed.
Snails and slugs have many natural enemies including ground beetles, pathogens, snakes, toads, turtles, and birds, but most are rarely effective enough to provide satisfactory control in the nursery.
There are many types of animals that feed on slugs: beetles (ground beetles, rove beetles, fireflies), toads, snakes, turtles, shrews, ducks, starlings and other birds. Encourage these natural enemies when practical in your garden. Be aware that using pesticides to kill slugs may also harm these natural enemies.
Some predatory beetles and lizards feed on them, but birds and rats are the most effective. Small pointed snail. Ducks, chickens or guinea fowl can provide effective, long-term control in orchards, vineyards and gardens and the biggest problem in using birds is protecting them from foxes.
Pouring salt on a slug will kill it in a matter of seconds, however, it generally takes quite a bit of salt to do so. The salt kills the slug through osmosis – it draws water from inside the slug and rapidly dehydrates it.
There are a handful of plants which are believed to be a natural repellent for slugs. What you need: Slug repelling plants “ Living Green suggest that wormwood, rue, fennel, anise, and rosemary are the best slug repelling plants.
A boom in the slug population is always a sign that the natural order of things is out of kilter. By killing snails, all you do is fight the symptoms; you leave untouched the underlying causes of the problem. The natural equilibrium will be even more disturbed because killing slugs also harms their natural enemies.
Slugs and snails hide in damp places during the day. They stay under logs and stones or under ground cover. They also hide under planters and low decks. At night they come out to eat.
While slugs are slimy and damaging to plants, they are not poisonous to humans.
Biological control. Ducks, blue-tongue lizards, wild birds like magpies, kookaburras and mudlarks all love snails and slugs.
It takes about a year for slugs to mature into adults, which can live for about two years. Slugs can be serious garden pests, eating seedlings, plants and fruit and vegetable crops.
But far from being a nuisance, opossums can be beneficial for your garden, eating snails, slugs, insects and sometimes even small rodents. They'll even clean up spilled garbage and fruit that has fallen off trees.
Wet soil: Slugs need to keep their bodies moist at all times to prevent dehydration, so they love moist soil. If you water frequently so that your soil is constantly damp, or if you have soil that does not drain very well, you're more likely to attract slugs.
Slugs and snails are very important. They provide food for all sorts of mammals, birds, slow worms, earthworms, insects and they are part of the natural balance. Upset that balance by removing them and we can do a lot of harm. Thrushes in particular thrive on them!
Slugs avoid crawling over anything dry, dusty or scratchy, such as lime, diatomaceous earth, cinders, coarse sawdust, gravel or sand. These make great barriers to keep out slugs. 2. Epson Salts sprinkled on the soil will help deter slugs and also help prevent Magnesium deficiency in your plants.
Slugs invade homes for a number of reasons, but usually because there's something good that they want inside. Slug love dark places, and they enter homes at night because they're dark and very inviting. They also come in because houses have moisture problems – slugs love moist environments!
Slugs are nocturnal and feed at night when we can't see them. They prefer cool, dark, moist hiding places during the day. Cool, wet spring conditions are ideal for slugs, resulting in early, serious damage to plants.
Slugs will sleep on and off for several hours at a time but then might stay awake for 30 hours without a break. Slugs may also hibernate, depending on the weather conditions. They will stay active when temperatures remain above 5 degrees Celsius / 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for slugs that aren't on plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver, vinegar is also an herbicide-so don't spritz the salvia. 15) Or Garlic. New research has shown that garlic kills slugs.
Scent. Slugs seem also to be put off by the strong scent of Lavendula (Lavender), Rosemarinus (Rosemary), Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel) and Phlox paniculate (Perennial phlox). There are so many plants that slugs simply can't stomach. In fact, that you could plant your entire garden with slug-hated plants.
Try beer traps
Make a slug trap using cheap beer – slugs will be attracted to the smell. Sink a beer trap or container into the ground, with the rim just above soil level. Half fill with beer and the cover with a loose lid to stop other creatures falling in. Check and empty regularly.
Don't eat raw or undercooked snails or slugs, frogs or shrimp/prawns. If you handle snails or slugs, wear gloves and wash your hands. Always remember to thoroughly wash fresh produce.
4. WD-40. To deter snails in your container garden, you can set up barriers around your plants or their containers. For example, you can spray a band of waterproof WD-40 around your containers, and the snails and slugs will be unable to climb up it.