I hunt them at night with a spray bottle with a mix of water and ammonia makes them bubble like salt. you can also lay some wet newspaper around your garden and they will get under it in the day time lift the paper and spray em

Crushed egg shells on the soil. Also put out a dish of beer.

Slug slicer

I also use the pet safe slug bait.

john

I have 3 bananna pepper plants with about 10 peppers total, and most of them are full of holes as well. Do the slugs eat the peppers to? I also found some pink things that look like eggs, anyone know if slugs lay pink eggs?

sam

I have had success putting used coffee grounds around each plant. Apparently the coffee contains a substance that is deadly to slugs and snails and will repel them. I have seen the dead bodies of snails that have attempted to cross the line! However I have read that long term use will poison the soil and reduce plant vitality - one theory for why coffee plantations often decline over time. Has anyone else heard of this? I was thinking of making a sort of split doughnut paper mache saucer to put around the stem of each pepper to hold the coffee.
Brien

John: Drastic measures, huh? ;)

Lay down a plank in the path next to the peppers. The slugs will crawl under it in the morning. Flip the plank over and squish 'em.

i use coffee grounds too. i hadn't heard anything about it damaging the soil.
i'm not too worried since it's not a large amount used in the garden.

I used to water my plants in the evening (6pm) until slugs ate my pepper plants and half my herb garden. I started watering in the morning or early afternoon. No more slugs! I still hunt for them and ocassionally find them nestled in my oregano, but changing my watering schedule helped alot!

If you go outside several times for a few days you can clean them all up. do it several times per evening. they come out fast and continuous.

Get rid of the eggs. sounds like slug eggs they are kind of large and usually under something.

Hi sambo725,

A little Googling and I found the following info that may be helpful. Personally, I like the diatomaceous soil/earth solution. It is a rather nasty death for the little buggers and also does a good job on earwigs, I HATE Earwigs!!! Its all natural and relatively inexpensive and quite effective. IÂve been using it for years with good results. Nothing better that sitting back in your garden chair with a beer and sprinkling diatomaceous soil on earwigs as they crawl out of their hiding places. OK, I donÂt get out much LOL.

Best of luck with the slugs,

Bill

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Control should begin as soon as slugs are detected. Slugs lay eggs in clusters of 200-300 eggs. Because of their capacity to reproduce in high numbers and the egg's ability to overwinter and withstand very harsh conditions even a small population can soon multiply.

There are many cultural or environmentally friendly means of slug control. Here are a few you may wish to try:

1. Inspect all incoming plants for eggs or adults and remove by hand.

2. Ensure adequate spacing between plants in the garden, stake tomatoes and use materials like chicken wire for peas to climb up to reduce the amount of foliage in close proximity to ground level.

3. In the fall remove all leaf debris and clean up the garden area as best as possible.

4. Since slugs prefer moist, shady locations, laying out pieces of old lumber between the rows of your garden can help. Just go out in the morning, lift the boards and gather or squish the slugs.

5. Beer placed in shallow containers was recommended in the past, but feeding beer to slugs can become quite expensive. It's the smell of yeast the slugs are attracted to, so we recommend a mixture of yeast, sugar and water, which should work just as well.

Dissolve 1 Tablespoon sugar in 2 litres of lukewarm water. Then add 1 teaspoon of yeast. Prepare this an hour or two before nightfall. Pour into containers and place them out in the garden. Disposable plastic cups placed into holes and dug between the garden rows work well when filled with this mixture. To enable the slug to crawl into the container, the lip of the container should be flush with the soil surface. This way the slugs have easy access into the container but will find it hard to get out. Check the containers each morning to see if slugs have to be dumped out and then place out a fresh mixture in the evening.

6. Frequent tillage can physically destroy adult slugs and slug eggs. Rototilling in both the spring and fall can help reduce their population. In addition rototilling in between rows throughout the growing season will assist in control.

7. Abrasive materials like ground egg shells, oyster shells or diatomaceous earth can be placed at the base of plants. As the slug ripples over the abrasive material their bodies become lacerated causing the slugs to die from dehydration.

8. Wrapping cotton balls around the base of plants will prevent the slugs from climbing up the stems as the cotton absorbs the slimy mucous on which slugs travel. Fibreglass insulation may also be used in this manner.

9. If chemical controls are favoured. Visit your local supplier of gardening goods for various slug baits or slug tapes. The chemical in both baits and tape is Metaldehyde, which can be used close to plants, but not applied on plants.

Thanks for all the advice, i will give it a try. My peppers are also getting holes in them, is this from the slugs or is something else going on?

I had a terrible snail problem and neither D.E. or beer traps were working. I tried the bait pellets with Iron Phosphate a few days ago and no more snail damage! It's safe for pets and wont contaminate plants or soil.

beer traps, eh? Sounds interesting. =) You drink a beer, sitting by your plants & trap the slugs while you're there? lol