Slugs!

[caroline7758]

I know it's already been said that it's a bad year for slugs, but I've never had courgettes stripped of leaves before! Good job I've sown too many as usual!

[caroline7758]

[gwynleg]

I cant believe how many there are. I use the organic type slug pellets and wish I had taken out shares in the company - I have used so many and other allotmenteers say they cant buy them as all sold out everywhere. It seems different across the allotment - in some areas I could put them down every day and they are all gone next day, other places they seem to last a bit longer. There really are one heck of a lot of slugs and snails though this year!

[ancellsfarmer]

Unfortunately, my experience with the "non-toxic" kind is that they do exactly what it says on the drum, they are non-toxic! In my world, properly distributed metaldehyde is the proper response. Keep bulk packs away from pets and children. Pellets should be well distributed, so as to be 6-8" apart, achieved by throwing up in the air, not down on the ground. This minimises the  quantity used, reaches more sluga and even a most determined dog would need a long time to pick up sufficient to harm. A fatal dose would be in the region of 10% of its body weight, based upon the normal concentration (DOFF) of 1%. A dog weighing 10Kg would need to eat in one session, 1Kg of pellets (More than 2 1/2 of the 400grm packs, more than I have ever used in a whole season) to be at risk .If you have such a creature, they would be best avoided.
For comparison, the toxicity of cooking chocolate (to dogs)is 5grams /kg , ie the same 10Kg dog would only need 50 grams .This  is not a recommendation for dog prevention!!

[johhnyco15]

ive been feeding them the little blue pill since march and there are still hoards of them however i think im getting the upper hand now

[small]

I've been through my strawberry patch this morning with gritted teeth and a pair of secateurs. Disgusting but effective. Some of those slugs were the size of mice!

[Jayb]

Plagues of slugs/snails here too 

I cant believe how many there are. I use the organic type slug pellets and wish I had taken out shares in the company - I have used so many and other allotmenteers say they cant buy them as all sold out everywhere. It seems different across the allotment - in some areas I could put them down every day and they are all gone next day, other places they seem to last a bit longer. There really are one heck of a lot of slugs and snails though this year!

I use the organic pellets too and earlier in the year noticed the pellets were disappearing almost overnight. I thought at first it was just the amount of active slugs and the wet weather, but even the ones in the greenhouse seemed to be going rapidly. I'm not sure it is all down to slug numbers, I suspect voles and mice might be interested in them and collecting the pellets to store as food?