Oh man don't get Katkin going on Lubbers. She has had a awful invasion, some 3000 + ? Last spring I had Lubber babies. Dennis keeps an ant spray liquid in one of the sprayers he gets from the golf course where he works. It is suposedly organic, no pesticides. I began soaking the baby lubbers and even the big boys daily. In about 3 days, they were all dead. AND haven't been back since knocking-on-wood as I type. Good luck. A grackle ate one? No way!

Hello,,did some one say the "L" word! I hate lubbers. I have killed thousands this year again. 15 and 20 in one day. Last year it was the same thing. 50 babies coming out of the ground covering a plant at one time. All my crinums look like swiss cheese. Boo hoo.

katkin, I so wish I could come bring you some of this juice that killed mine. You seem to have a horrid infestation! Maybe you could contact someone that can recommend an organic way of ridding you of these terrible pests!

Somewhere I heard or read one bird pecks it to kill it and let the toxins drain out and comes back the next day to eat it. Maybe it was a grackle. Wish I had lots of them in my garden. lol

Thankfully, it has slowed up a little now, just 2 or 3 every other day or so. We have an over grown vacant lot next door so they come from over there too. :o(

And you have Crinums. Crinums are lubber crack!

Saintpfl, if you are only killing 6 at a time, you've really been spared this year. I don't have anything like the horrible infestation that Katkin has been dealing with, but I've probably killed 100 or more. They have slowed down for me now, knock wood. I'm hoping that's the worst of it for this year. They are WRETCHED beasts!!! Good luck keeping them under control. I use the Grab and Stomp method...they are easy to pick up and hold by their "elbows" They can't reach you with their pokey ol' legs that way, and they don't bite, so it's safe. Off the plants they come, and then they go to that great Garden Salad Bar in the Sky, via a quick death between the brick path and my garden clogs.
Marcia

I hate killing anything (even Lubbers), but I use an old brick or the back of my shovel. I feel bad too because they don't die quick.

Yeah, the Grackle kept poking it and sqawking so loudly, I was able to watch it for awhile. It was so focused on killing the Lubber that it didn't even notice me watching it. Now, I have to say that the behavior of the Grackle was 'odd'. So, I'm wondering if some of the toxins did impact the bird. The bird was sqawking loudly-- even on the roof of the house-- for about an hour.

Katkin, it's the loggerhead shrike (or butcherbird) you're thinking of. It'll impale the lubber, let the nasty tasting juices dry up for a day or so, then munch it on down.

Wish I had loggerhead shrikes...

I killed hundreds of babies this spring. My first year ever for a lubber killing spree... yuck. I hated watching them twitch and struggle in the bucket of soapy water. Sigh. But my crinums are happier for it.

Oh man, lets hear it for loggerhead shrikes!

Holy cow!!! I just killed ANOTHER one! I was working away on my email and looked up to see a giant Lubber lounging on my rose bush.

Knocked him off the roses...had a little chase..and then, threw my brick at him.

So...what does this explosion of Lubbers mean-- environmentally? Something else has to eat these Lubbers beside Grackles and Shrikes. Also, one Grackle eating a Lubber then going crazy, doesn't mean it's a regular meal for Grackles either.

Doesn't this say something about nature when one food group becomes more abundant? The Lubber invasion made it on the evening news here in Tampa a couple of months ago, so you know it must be bad.

And, how many thousands of Lubbers am I going to have next year?

No, nothing eats them! That's the problem. They are toxic and the animals learn it quickly. Raccoons have tried and they are sick for days and won't touch one again. ;o(

Maybe Cuban Treefrogs will eat them?

I've only killed one or two so far this summer . Most years I've got tons of them. Maybe the Cuban Tree Frogs do eat them because I've got loads of those now.

This year, for the second summer in a row, I'm dealing with snails.

snails huh? try the copper pipe method. A little trick i learned from my aquarium experience is the power of copper in controlling invertebrate populations. Ring your beds with copper piping. Sounds odd, but it is a dynamite anti snail strategy.

Nativesun - will that work on slugs too? I have a horrific slug problem...they seem to love to eat my Vinca...

slugs and snails equally as well. Copper is the kryptonite of the snail/slug world.

I wonder if they would make a good addition to the compost pile?