How Do You Get Rid of Slugs?

Anytime you have a healthy and thriving garden, pests are just waiting to do damage. Flying, hopping and crawling pests often damage plants, and the resulting damage can leave a plant susceptible to disease. Slugs are one such crawling pest that not only cause damage but also can be a downright gross presence because of their slimy trails. Although exterminators can apply poisonous chemicals, several other remedies may have productive results.

Things You'll Need

• Rake
• Pruners
• Garden hose
• Beer
• Shallow container
• Bucket
• Saltwater
• Gloves
• Copper pennies

Instructions

1. Clean up the garden area by removing ground litter and low-hanging leaves to control moisture. Rake up leaves and other debris to remove moist slug habitats. Prune low-hanging branches or leaves with pruners.

2. Water a garden early in the morning to prevent excessive moisture in the evening and overnight, when slugs can be most active. Irrigating early allows the heat and evaporation of the day to dry the soil.

3. Place a shallow container on the ground in an area of the garden where slugs are active. Pour at least 1/2 to 1 inch of beer into the container. Leave it undisturbed overnight to attract slugs. The next day. remove dead slugs that crawled into the container and drowned.

4. Mix a solution of salt and water in a bucket, using a formula of 1/4 cup salt per 1 gallon of water. Put on a pair of garden gloves. Walk through the garden early in the morning and hand-collect slugs that are still actively feeding. Drop the slugs into the saltwater solution to kill them.

5. Place copper pennies or strips of copper around plants where slugs are actively feeding. Space the pennies around the plants. Slugs that touch the copper coins will receive a mild shock, discouraging them from entering the area.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Fact Sheet -- Slug Control