Control slugs naturally without chemicals

Slugs in the garden can be obnoxious but you do want to try natural control methods first. Many chemical controls for slugs contain a nasty ingredient called metaldehyde which can be extremely harmful to your pets. Another icky ingredient in many slug baits is carbaryl, a pesticide that will kill slugs, but will also kill off useful garden insects and can cause skin burns, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea and excessive salivation in humans, and at higher levels even worse symptoms.

To control slugs naturally:

• Prevention is your first step. Keep a clean garden, get rid of excessive garden pots (slugs like to hide under them), and make sure that foliage doesn’t become overgrown. Also choose plants that are naturally slug un-friendly. Slugs won’t eat everything, so plant what they don’t like to eat.
• Become a slug hunter. Nighttime is a good time to hunt slugs with a flashlight. You can remove them from your garden manually. If you’re not collecting and dropping slugs off elsewhere you can drop them in a bucket of soapy water to kill them.
• Use natural methods such as traps filled with beer or water mixed with yeast.
• Copper barriers can be used around at risk plants and some people note that a layer of gravel or ground oyster shell will halt slugs as well, although copper works best and doesn’t cost that much.

[image via stock.xchng]