Topic: Slugs - huge orange to litle, grey rubbery slimey devils

[carosanto]

I read an article which said that the huge orange slugs are being blamed for damage they just do't do!  It's the little grey rubbery devils that do most of the damage, the orange fellas just lie about under stones and eat the occasional worm or something like that.

Neither are welcome on my lot specially the big jobbies who get the gruesome, but necessary, secateur snip.  But can anyone tell me if there is any truth in the story?  And what's your preferred method of despatch (of slugs that is?)

Caro

[Alex133]

I've heard that but not convinced!
I have compost type caddy, half filled with water and slug of salt, drop all slugs and snails in and leave until smelly, then add to compost heap. Very nutritious, I hope!

[chriscross1966]

The ones that mess up potatoes are barely visible and the only real way of getting to them apart from using an old fashioned metaldehyde drench is to either stir some slug pellets in during planting and hope you get most of them then or apply the nematodes.... Nematodes have been effective for me in the past and I hope they will be again....

Surface slugs near my plants get blue pellets (the iron phosphate ones), I don't kill slugs in the compost heaps cos they're no tthe type that attack my plants.....

chrisc

[Palustris]

The big orange and big black slugs (actually just colour variations of the same species) are most definitely carnivorous. They actually eat other slugs (and dog muck!).
I keep saying it but no one listens, snails do far more damage than slugs.

[Jill]

I'm having far more problems with snails than slugs despite pellets.  Hostas already looking like net curtains :(