[ian]

out third night in a row slug hunting with much success too but still they come like barbarian hordes...

[Sive]

I read an article years ago explaining that not all slugs damage what we grow....that in fact some types do essential work in the garden.
I'm annoyed with myself for not keeping the article. It would be sad to think we gardeners are killing them all indiscriminately. I seem to remember it is the very small ones that damage our plants and the really lethal-looking huge ones should be left well alone.
Does anyone know more about this subject ?

[fontodi]

I was just reading about this a few days ago.

" About 30 species of slugs and snails are found in gardens but not all of them are pests. Some of the snails are carnivorous eating worms and insects, and others eat dead vegetable matter and fungi. A few snails, however, are a nuisance. The Common snail with its tortoiseshell cover is the most widespread and the smaller Strawberry snail with its appetite for nearly all garden plants is the least welcome. The Banded snail cannot make up its mind - it usually eats weeds and grass but will trun to the lettuces for variety.

The slugs with the small shells on their tails live on earthworms. The Great Grey slug grows up to 20 cm long but is harmless to plants and the Large Black slug eats decaying vegetable matter as its first choice and does not do a great deal of harm. It is the smaller slugs you have to worry about , the 2.5 cm Netted slug, coloured white and pale brown , is a menace and the 2.5 cm Garden slug, dark grey with an orange foot, attacks vegetables both above and below the ground. "

From " the bedside book of the Garden2 by Dr d g Hessayon.

I have found a great way to catch them. I place a large piece of heavy duty plastic over the ground I am going to dig in a few days and lift it daily to collect the slugs underneath. After a few days the numbers are definetly lessening.

[sillydad]

what is the best time of night to go hunting

[Lius]

My winter cabbage got hit hard with slugs but after failing with beer traps and slug hunting last year I researched alternate solutions - COPPER and GRIT.

I surrounded the cabbage patch with scrap copper pipes pushed into the soil, the slugs get a small shock from the copper and keep away.

I also dressed the soil with horticultural grit as a back-up, the grit is too abrasive for the slug to crawl across.

So far the winter Cabbages have recovered and are thriving, I should harvest the first head soon. I am going to use this solution on the rest of my tender greens this year so I'm collecting scrap copper pipe like mad.