A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 slugs and beer

Hi everyone,

I was reading about the use of beer to get rid of slugs. Here's my question- When you check the beer traps in the am- and they have slugs in there do you just get the slugs out and re-use the same beer or do I need to add fresh beer?

I don't know where you got your information on slugs and beer, hopefully not from my previous post on the subject!
Slug/Beer Post

I don't have to worry about re-using the beer, because my skunks drink it.

Someone posted a good slug trap using beer that I am going to look for.
I'll get back to you on that!

Cindy

O.K. I found the article.
Controlling Slugs

It says "stale" beer...so, I would think that re-using the beer would be fine!
That's just my opinion.
I've never gotten that far yet...to actually find dead slugs in a bowl of beer!

Cindy

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for all the info. I tried the beer last night and had about ten dead slugs in the beer. I did read your post on the beer and slugs that was SO funny!! I think I will just leave if for tonight and see what happens.

Thanks,
Tammy

I read somewhere you can control where you don't want slugs by using salt (plain table salt), they don't like gridy on their feeties.

It worked on my door step.

Suzydaze,
You just gotta watch your plants when you do that though!!!
It'll kill all of your plants!!!!

Try some Diatomatious Earth, Crushed Eggshells, Sand, or copper sheeting around the edges of a raised bed????
Or I take a wet piece of cardboard or plastic garbage bag or reasonable sized piece of wood, wet it or under it, and it's like a magnet for them in a handful of days...
And during the day they need shade and sleep there and I pull it up and squish them!!!!!
I say, there, take that you little......blah, blah, blah...you can imagine what I put into that sentence!!!!

Weezie

Keep us posted!!!

Beer traps do work quite well, they work better if the slug cannot get out. get a pop(soda) bottle, cut the top off and put it back in upside down. then stick some beer in the bottom.

if you want a picture of this

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/pests.htm#slugs

Also I am trying with a pond at the moment as pond = frogs and frogs love to eat slugs. have a look at

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/photopond.htm

I also use egg shells like weeze13 has suggested and that works too, I have a huge slug problem and even found slug eggs. So I think that the more methods you use to get rid of them the better. I like the idea of frogs eating them though as this seems to be more concurrent with the cycle of nature.

Cool!
I didn't know that frogs would eat my slugs!

I just built a little pond in my yard, and I have froggies in it!


Cindy

A bit of dry sawdust also deters slugs n snails. Basically, anything dry will absorb the mucous they exude and cause 'em to dry up so they don't like to go on it. Kitty litter works very well apparently. Then there's always the after dark slug stomp with a flashlight. You get lots. The beer traps are a nice idea but i just can't bring myself to tip any beer out:)

weezie13


I used it on the door steps, they can get on my plants (well, actually there's pleanty of other stuff for them to get on) But I don't like stepping on them, so I just salted around the door steps.

wonder why the get around the door step so bad

Suzydaze,
I'm suspecting that the concrete holds a tiny bit of moisture as would the base around a home during points of the day and night.
And that's a slug's most favoritable place is moist...and a bit of shade....
What more could a slug want except for a good
"Squwwwwwashing"????

Weezie