Susan, slugs are a big challenge here, I think we're just about the slug capital of the country...they don't seem to bother my fall blooming c. hederifolium while the hostas and dwarf solomons seal next to it are slug favorites.

Of course it doesn't hurt to be pro-active and protect your plants from possible damage. Like deer, the one year you think you can not bait a particular area may be the one year slugs develop a taste different from other seasons:)

I'll probably put some bait out then. I've given up on hostas. I see such big, beautiful plants pictured in magazines, but they must be growing someplace that is slug-free.

I visited my sister near Port Angeles, and saw the biggest slugs I've ever seen in my life, over an inch long, big and brown. I wonder if you have those too.

They haven't touched my cyclamen yet either. The only thing that has bothered cyclamen so far are critters that have tried to eat the bulbs or just dig them up when foraging. I've had the florist types get spider mites, but not C. coum or C. hederifolium yet.
Did you ever try burying bowls of beer to kill slugs? I had a bad problem with slugs at my mother's house. Every morning they would be all over the sidewalk. The pansies would be almost gone and covered in slime. It worked for me back then. The bowls are disgusting though. Wonder if anything ate them? Wonder if I didn't notice a lot of drunk crows flying around?