Topic: little white eggs

[Melanie]

Dear Collective Wisdom,

I'm still digging my now not-so-new allotment--I've only had a few hours on a Sunday afternoon until this Easter. (Have also done some planting/sowing--garlic, shallots, potatoes, beetroot, chard.) Anyway, during the last couple of days of digging I've been finding small 'bundles' of little white eggs in the soil. We have quite a heavy clay soil, and it's been covered with black plastic for a couple of months, so I can't imagine it's a flying pest. What lays little white eggs under the soil? Slugs? I suddenly realise I have no idea how a slug reproduces!!

I don't really know what was growing there before--weeds, I guess. The plot hasn't been cultivated for a couple of years. (I did find some potatoes and onions in the soil, but not in the same place I've found the eggs.)

Anyway, what should I do with 'em? I've been chucking them onto the rest of the plastic so far, figuring they'll dry out in the sun. But if it's a good beastie, then I'll not want to kill 'em.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Melanie

[Rose.mary]

It sounds like slugs.Uck!!Exterminate,exterminate ;D
What sun? >:(
Rosemary

[Melanie]

We had a bit of sun down here this afternoon--very unexpected, but still welcome! I think it's supposed to be overcast tomorrow though.

Melanie

[gavin]

Slugs, I reckon - I'm with Rosemary.  Putting them on the plastic sounds good  - there's lots of hungry birds a-nesting.

Get 'em now, and you'll have a lot less later in the season.

All best - Gavin

[BAGGY]

Or red ants.  I hate red ants.  Feed 'em to the birdies !

[Melanie]

Just realised I forgot to say thanks for your replies. I'll continue to throw the eggs on the plastic and hope some of the birdies get them.

I did find red ants, but not in the same place as the eggs. Are red ants actually a problem for growing vegetables? I don't want to kill anything if I don't have to. I have no problem dispatching slugs, but I've always been rather fascinated by ants and their complex community system.

Best,
Melanie

[Shoyu]

Glad I spotted this I was just about to post the same question. I am currently dedandelioning my lawn and under the dandelions I keep finding baby slugs and nests of little white eggs. Yuck! Anyway we should have alot fewer slugs this year.

[Doris_Pinks]

Melanie I have red ants on my plot, they don't seem to do any damage to my veges but they definately do damage to me! I have been bitten a few times and the burn the bite gives you from one so small, is amazing  :o  Gives a nasty rash too, so in the cars first aid kit I suggest you carry anti itch insect cream! ;D  Have found that over the years the more the ground is worked the less I see the ants, thank goodness!  DP

[Palustris]

They would not be ant eggs. They are more straw coloured than pearly white and anyway, you would never, ever find them without gillions of ants crawling all over them.

[Melanie]

Thanks Doris_Pinks--I'll be investing in anti-itch cream!

Palustris: I've had (black) ants nesting under/in a plant pot in the garden and you're right, they never abandon their eggs.

Thank,
Melanie

[RSJK]

I have been doing a fare bit of digging today, and boy do I not like what I have seen, Every spade full turned over as produced those dreaded slug eggs. Think we are in for a population boom with them.

[GREENWIZARD]

slugs are hermaphrodites but they can also mate with another slug for upto 90 minutes :o.they produce 36 eggs several times a year :(.the white jelly eggs are laid underground & hatch 10-21 days later & the babies reach adulthood 6 weeks later :( :( :(

[RSJK]

Gosh is that all they make love for 90 mins, lol

 ;D ;D ;D

[Columbus]

Can someone post a picture of slug eggs ?

It seems odd that I`ve never seen any - I see lots of slugs of all sizes.

Thank you, Col

[GREENWIZARD]

[Columbus]

 :) Thank you wizard, Any idea of the scale? Like ant egg size?

Col

[GREENWIZARD]

 

hope this helps Col

[Roy Bham UK]

Thanks GW ;) that's interesting as I have spotted what I thought looked like eggs in my farm yard manure but they are a fraction of the size of those, they are white and more like the size of sugar granules, anyone throw any light on these? ???