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Produce => Pests & Diseases => Topic started by: Crystalmoon on April 29, 2016, 07:04:11
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My husband just heard a snippet of the news that warned gardeners that because the Winter has been so mild a generation of sleepless slugs has evolved, so they feed 24/7. He said they are pale in colour. He may of course be winding me up but thought I should post on here anyway just in case it is true.
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Just heard the news myself, it is true apparently....sleepless slugs who eat & breed etc much more than normal slugs...a slug population explosion is predicted :BangHead:
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I'm sure they've been living in my garden for years - you are all welcome to my slugs they're FREE!!! :tongue3: :tongue3: :tongue3:
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I would be highly sceptical of journalists writing stories like this, many of whom live in London and don't know the first thing about slugs.:happy7:
Using common sense it seems clear that slugs, along with much of nature, are opportunistic so whenever conditions are right they will be active. "Right" in this case means wet weather obviously. So they are already feeding 24/7 now and have
been for thousands of years.
Of course "slugs eat your plants when it's wet - SHOCK" isn't sensationalist enough and doesn't sell news copies. :happy7:
As always do your own research.
http://www.slugoff.co.uk/slug-facts/facts (http://www.slugoff.co.uk/slug-facts/facts)
(one of the bullet points says "◾Unlike snails that hibernate during winter, slugs are active whenever the temperature is above 5°C"
Likewise it is constantly repeated that we have had a mild winter yet when looking at the Met Offices own historical records for uk weather stations show this years winter (Jan Feb Mar as winter technically begins 21st december) has been pretty average so there have been warmer such periods and colder naturally.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate-historic/#?tab=climateHistoric (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate-historic/#?tab=climateHistoric)
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Slugs down here dont do nine to five! Takes just a sniff of edibility to get em going for it. They aren't fussy what it is, they clean up that the dog walkers leave un- bagged so do us all a favour I suppose. Regarding snails, I have found them 20 foot up a wall and even higher on a Bramley apple tree. Do they go up for the view, or just "hurtle along and cant stop" Wish I knew.
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A lot more eggs will have survived since there's been so little frost, but I don't believe we've suddenly got mutant superslugs everywhere! So far the slugs aren't active and I'm catching very few mice, so they must still be in their wnter quarters in peoples' houses. they'll be out soon.
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Slug-wise, it's pretty weird about here. I'm a pelleter and I always will be and I can see the results of the poison the next day. This year hardly a slug has died but what is odd is I've seen far more snails. Way more than I've seen in 5 years. I normally have a bad slug problem (hence the pellets), so bad that I don't grow certain plants anymore.
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Hi I've had the opposite, haven't seen a single snail at all even with all the rain we have had in Kent....but have had loads of very small very pale slugs. It's a bit gruesome but I go out with scissors when it has rained & cut them in half, that way the birds can eat them. If they keep coming in the numbers they have been I may well have to resort to blue pellets. Jane
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Interesting thing on GQT about using carpet tiles on the ground and the slogs congregate underneath them for easy collection and disposal
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Slug-wise, it's pretty weird about here. I'm a pelleter and I always will be and I can see the results of the poison the next day. This year hardly a slug has died but what is odd is I've seen far more snails. Way more than I've seen in 5 years. I normally have a bad slug problem (hence the pellets), so bad that I don't grow certain plants anymore.
Happened to wake earlier than usual and saw magpies "hoovering up" slugs that had been stopped with pellets, perhaps this is why your "kill rate" appears poor! Might be a case of two pests with one pellet, great value!
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Strangely I have no problem with birds. Plenty of pigeons, magpies and starlings about too but I've never had bother, not even on the soft fruit. I hope I've not tempted fate there!
I use metaldehyde pellets and they always leave a "death trail" at the end of which I invariably find a desiccated slug. Only seen a handful of either. It's really weird. Last year was the worst slug year I've had, they wrecked the swedes, just riddled. Even some beetroot got holed to destruction.
Those two are the most slug resistant plants in my garden. Maybe slimy little horrors have emigrated?