Allotments 4 All

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 :( :( :(

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

;D ;D ;D

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

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

Col

 

hope this helps Col

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? ???