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Ugh, slugs!

post #1 of 32
9/25/11 at 10:33am
Thread Starter 
Last night, Speck was pawing at something in the floor that I thought from a distance was a leaf. Upon closer inspection, it was a slug. I scooped him up in "the bug cup", a plastic cup we keep under the cabinet especially for such occasions and put him outside. Then I got a real shock. There were slug all over my back porch. I've never seen anything like it. Gross, gross, gross! It looked like something from a horror movie. A lot of them were congregated up at my back door, like they were trying to get in. They weren't the size of the slugs I saw in Puerto Rico as a child, but these made up for it in sheer numbers. First a wolf spider with babies on her back in my office at work and now this. I am just not a critter person.
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post #2 of 32
9/25/11 at 12:07pm
I hate slugs. ewwwwwww. My Mom used to sprinkle cayenne pepper around her plants slugs won't cross it. maybe you could put some around your door
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post #3 of 32
9/25/11 at 12:36pm
......
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post #4 of 32
9/25/11 at 1:24pm
When it's wet, we have a lot of slugs. They don't gather around the RV, but if we don't manage the cat food properly for the ferals, they get into it. And wherever they are, even if they're not in the food, our ferals always seem to have issues with lung worm.

We use lots of DE. Of course, it has to be applied every time it rains, and when it rains for days we really can't do much about it (though we put down fake grass under the deck where we put the cat food when it's raining) and that seems to help. There are a few determined slugs that will traverse it, but it's not a slug party.
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post #5 of 32
9/25/11 at 1:26pm
A saucer of beer kept out will draw the slugs to it and drown them in a drunken stupor
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post #6 of 32
9/25/11 at 2:32pm
Thread Starter 
DH says they will be coming back tonight.

I can't stand them, but I just can't kill them. I try to think of them as snails. Big snails, without the cuteness or the shells. Isn't that basically what they are?

Geez, I would never make it in a place where there are scorpions.
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post #7 of 32
9/25/11 at 2:38pm
We have a ton of scorpions here, but honestly, you rarely see them, they are pretty shy critters.

And yes, slugs and snails are pretty much the same, just without shells.
But they will ruin vegetaion.

Another option for you is to determine species and do some slug friendly landscaping complete with favored plants, this would likely keep them away as they have a more attractive (to them) place to hang out.
I did this for the banana slugs back home in Washington, it actually worked with varying degrees of success.
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post #8 of 32
9/25/11 at 3:04pm
to the slugs AND the spider...gah!
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post #9 of 32
9/25/11 at 3:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolCat View Post
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This year has been the worst for slugs and I get the heebie jeebie's. They crawl into the feral's bowls all the time and I have to try to get them out of the bowls
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post #10 of 32
9/25/11 at 3:44pm
I cannot stand slugs. I'd scream if I saw one. They are just gross and nasty and gross.. EW.

I hope you can control the slug population. ugh!!
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post #11 of 32
9/25/11 at 3:51pm
As much as I love nature...If I saw tons of slugs like that, I'm afraid I'd be throwing salt all over them, turning around and walking away.

This coming from the girl who untangled a giant dragonfly from a huge spiderweb.
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post #12 of 32
9/25/11 at 4:25pm
That kinda reminds me of a film called slither was a comedy horror haha

Anyhow I don't like slugs we always put down smashed egg shells and rock salt
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post #13 of 32
9/25/11 at 5:15pm
I dont mind them around except I go barefoot and its NOT a good combo I know there were a few last year but this year we have ALOT more. Maybe cause last year Tommy was with us and ate them? He passed in July
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post #14 of 32
9/25/11 at 6:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by -_aj_- View Post
That kinda reminds me of a film called slither was a comedy horror haha

Anyhow I don't like slugs we always put down smashed egg shells and rock salt
What do the smashed egg shells do? Do you make a barrier or throw them on the slugs? You know I like to tease you, aj. But seriously, if I crumple up some egg shells and scatter them about would the slugs stay away?

I haven't looked outside to see if they're out there tonight. But we had a terrible storm earlier and I bet all sorts of creepy crawlies are taking refuge on our porch.

I'm not sure if I posted about coming home to the lizard in our hall recently. He was belly-up and looking quite dead. To make matters worse, part of his tail was on the other side of the hall. I know their tails detach as a defensive measure, but it looked like it had failed in his case. When DH went to dispose of it, he saw it blink. So he put it outside in a cat safe place and later it was gone.

Addendum: DH just came in a reported that the slugs are back.
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post #15 of 32
9/25/11 at 7:40pm
I want to know about the egg shells too. I'm guessing they get mixed in with their wonderful slime and keep them from moving? DH hasn't heard anything about them either so were both curious. Salt always does the trick though. We have a lot of them around here because it's been so rainy. I don't really mind them (except in the garden). Of course, I haven't had an organized invasion like you have! I'd be running for the hills! It does sound like a horror movie!

About the lizards though, yes some do seem to play dead after their tails detach. Maybe they are too traumatized and pass out, I don't know, but your little guy probably survived. But it is SO freaky to see a tail/mini-snake (which is what I thought it was the first time) squirming around while the lizard gets away.
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post #16 of 32
9/25/11 at 8:10pm
You sure do have some interesting visitors
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post #17 of 32
9/26/11 at 11:06am
Be sure to watch in case kitty starts coughing or wheezing! They can get lungworm parasite from slugs/snails.
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post #18 of 32
9/26/11 at 12:05pm
Yuck!!

Crushed egg shells are used as a barrier- it can cut the slugs if they try to crawl over them, so they don't. I assume that's the issue with the DE too. I might try that in my garden next year- this year I had some yogurt cups full of cheap beer ($3 a 6-pack at Trader Joe's!) and dug holes so the rims of the cups were about at ground level. I got lots of drowned slugs that way. I felt bad about it, but either my broccoli died or the slugs died, so I chose the slugs to die.

I'm not sure what I would do if there were tons of them outside my door though. Good luck!!
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post #19 of 32
9/26/11 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlleyGirl View Post
Be sure to watch in case kitty starts coughing or wheezing! They can get lungworm parasite from slugs/snails.
OMG! That's it...the slugs have to go.
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post #20 of 32
9/26/11 at 7:04pm
Salt + slugs = bye-bye slugs!

DE is good. Slug bait is not....the cats may get that on their paws.
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post #21 of 32
9/26/11 at 8:09pm
Thread Starter 
What is DE? I meant to ask earlier...
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post #22 of 32
9/26/11 at 8:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nurseangel View Post
OMG! That's it...the slugs have to go.
I don't know if this has been suggested yet but beer baits are very effective, they love fermenting beer and crawl into a happy death.
Dig holes large enough to place large (16 oz) cups in 1 inch rim above ground. Fill with beer 2-3 inches just below rim. Place every few feet around obvious infested areas.
You can use salt as a barrier around your porch or home to prevent them from crossing, but this is poison to your plants and soil.
They are attracted to dark, wet, cool surfaces. You can place large rocks or other solid items around the area and turn them over , pick up slugs and drop into a cup of beer to give them a happy ending.
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post #23 of 32
9/27/11 at 1:11am
Yeah slugs don't like the feel of the smashed egg shells because it cuts them so they stay away
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post #24 of 32
9/27/11 at 7:09am
Am I the only weirdo who thinks all the slugs are cool???

I would LOVE it if you would take pics of them
I wouldn't kill them but try to set up a barrier of some sort so they wont cross it.
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post #25 of 32
9/27/11 at 7:27am
Ew. Ew, ew, ew.
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post #26 of 32
9/27/11 at 4:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momto3boys View Post
Am I the only weirdo who thinks all the slugs are cool???

I would LOVE it if you would take pics of them
I wouldn't kill them but try to set up a barrier of some sort so they wont cross it.
The slugs and I got off to a bad start in Puerto Rico. There were these areas that were filled with water that we were told was poisonous. We kids all believed the slugs came from there and were poison, as well. And they were huge; much bigger than the ones we have here. I actually feel sorry for them. I don't like killing anything. Maybe it will turn cold soon and they will just go away.
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post #27 of 32
9/27/11 at 5:22pm
DE is Diaotomaceous Earth and if you're going to use it, it MUST be FOOD GRADE DE or it can be harmful to you or the cats. Here's the wikipedia on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
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post #28 of 32
9/28/11 at 6:12am
OMGosh, I hate slugs! Ugly, ugly creatures! They just give me the creeps.

I'll put out saucers of beer in amongst our hosta plants because the slugs love hosta so much. As cheylink said, they'll go for the beer and drown.

Ok, I've got the creeps now. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew! (Do we have an "That's just creepy!" icon??)
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post #29 of 32
10/1/11 at 11:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winchester View Post
OMGosh, I hate slugs! Ugly, ugly creatures! They just give me the creeps.

I'll put out saucers of beer in amongst our hosta plants because the slugs love hosta so much. As cheylink said, they'll go for the beer and drown.

Ok, I've got the creeps now. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew! (Do we have an "That's just creepy!" icon??)
The most effective way to beer trap them is to dig holes deep enough to place cups with one inch of rim above ground level, and fill 1/4 to 1/2 with a potent, yeasty . They love the smell of fermenting beer, and crawl into a happy, delirious death by beer.
They can be extremely destructive, they come out at night and eat the leaves of many of your favorite perennials and annuals
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post #30 of 32
10/2/11 at 8:47am
Around here we sometimes get 30+ Leopard Slugs. What I do is put a small pile of cat food or rotten fruit a few feet away from the cats bowls, so the slugs go after what's on the ground and not in the bowl. Then sometimes I see dead slugs, the raccoons like to eat them actually.

Has anyone ever seen an all white leopard slug? I'm kind of into creepy crawlies too and an all white slug is an albino but I've never had one here.
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