Can we talk 'slugs' please?

Since we'd had no rain for yonks, DH decided to water all the garden yesterday evening. We then sat and watched the parade of frogs leaving our little pond to forage in our overcrowded beds for slugs and bugs. Early this morning I watched as they returned to hide under their lily pads before it got too dry and warm. The pond with its waterfall encourages so much bird and wildlife we don't have too much of a problem with slugs and bugs. There are exceptions like those Lily weevil things which nothing eats.

Ive discovered that not only will they drown in beer, but red wine, shandy, cola. So I now have little containers of these in strategic places. I go outside about 11 pm and "help them" to find the containers, tip them in and leave them to it. At least they die happy.

Thanks for everyone's wonderful advice!
I have put copper tape around my pots and egg shells round vulnerable plants. I also bought slug pellets.
I will send off for some nematodes if there is any further damage.

It has just occurred to me that the spell of very weather we had in May might have done for the slugs nematodes.

I did use slug nematodes some area of my garden some parts seem better protected than others.
I have some hydrangea plants. One which has dark colour leaves untouched. Another two are totally chewed. I have surrounded these plants with slug gone wool pellets placed on top of sticky up chicken wire covers I use to deter them and still the B******s are munching them. I probably need to renew the nematodes but a lot of hot dry weather is forecast and they need moist soil to work properly.

I used to wash and crush all my eggshells but the birds seemed to like them and pecked out the plants at the same time. I've just cut my privet hedge and it was full of snails. I put coffee dregs from the cafetiere round my veg but it's probably more of a fertiliser than a slug deterrent. I have a small pond, lots of frogs but they don't seem able to manage all the slugs. When it rains I go out in the dark with a torch and catch as many as I can and put them in the green bin, the underside of the lid is usually covered in snails. Sometimes I bump into one of my frogs when I'm out slug and snail catching and I feel a bit mean taking his supper.

I start spraying Nematoads in march and carry on every 6 weeks. Not one slug. It works.

A friend of mine told me that she used to put damp newspaper down in the evenings, I think this was around the hostas, and in the morning they would all be underneath it, ready to be disposed of. You could give it a try!

Tiggypiro I wonder if it went up the overflow pipe if your cistern has one, though some modern ones don't have them.

Get a toad! Can't stand the thing but boy does mine (Terry) keep the slugs down. Thrushes do a great job on the snails.

I put saucers of beer out for the little devils and most mornings there are a few corpses which I gather with an old tea strainer and sling into the closed 'garden bin.'
Ken Bruce made a funny comment about slugs this morning, "You know that beer pub is a complete and utter waste of time - I couldn't get to sleep at all last night because of their damn singing.'

Slug pellets are good. Also coffee grounds are useful for individual plants.

Two nights running I went down to my kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate, only to find a 5 inch slug slinking it's way across the floor. Both nights I opened the door and put it in the compost bin which has a closed lid, so I'd love to know it if was the same slug, that not only managed to get out of the compost bin, but back in through the door. However, in spite of catching two of the horrors, I discovered yesterday that a planted basket in my living room has been stripped bare! Couldn't believe the devastation, particularly as there was another plant next to it which remained unharmed, obviously it was one of the plants they don't like. Hate the little blighters!

I bought some of the wavy green lawn edging and stuck the copper tape to one side. I cut the wavy plastic into sizes for my delphiniums and made copper rings round them by stapling the ends together. Cheaper than buying copper rings. I read this recipe somewhere but haven't yet tried it. 2 bulbs of garlic, add to 2 pints of water. Boil for 4 minutes. Strain the mixture and make up to 2 pints again. Let it cool. Put it into a bottle and use 1 tablespoon of garlic mix to 1 gallon of water. Water onto plants that attract slugs in the evening.

My DIL gets the Spanish slugs in Sweden - she cuts them in half. My DS puts copper wire round their raised bed, finds it effective. Here in UK I'm trying out petroleum jelly round my raised beds and pots. I also use organic slug pellets. But I find most effective is my slug and snail pick after dark complete with rubber glove and food waste caddy - they then are taken for a walk next day. My question is how do I get a slug trail off my painted sittingroom ceiling - and why the hell did it go up there?!

Pheobes, I admire you. I am also a buddhist. I couldn't harm any other creature and can't do the dead with the slugs myself. Hubby does it, but in my heart I know I'm responsible. I love my english perennials though (lupins, foxgloves). I don't plant other things they like and I do plant for bees and butterflies. I do feel guilty about the slugs.

I don't use anything in my garden that harms wildlife. I hear that Nematodes are good, but I haven't used them. Previously, we have done a nightly slug hunt with a torch and a bucket of salt (it kills them). It makes me wince, but not as much as losing my plants. It's nightly for one week when they first become noticeable, then twice a week for a couple of weeks, then weekly or so until the end of the season. You do this after dark and you'll find the most after rain. This year we have had no more than the odd one to dispose of, so no slug hunts required. I think the family of hedgehogs that have moved in (probably because I use nothing toxic and have made a good size hedgehog friendly area) are eating them. We also have a couple of hens. No doubt that helped a bit. Heaven knows how many we would have been dealing with without them.

We were told to sprinkle slug pellets on Valentine's Day as that is when they start to breed. Then you don't get so many.
Do slug nematodes kill snails too? They are our main culprits.

Copper tape is effective around pots, and I use pellets in the greenhouse which is effective, but you have to keep putting the pellets down. The egg shells sound like a good idea.

My neighbour informs me he can't plant pansies along our dividing fence as "my" slugs eat all his plants.

And I thought slugs were, like, free roaming ...

I did find a huge one in my kitchen last year behind my fridge. I'd only moved the fridge because I'd found a frog in my dining room and when I squealed (I thought it was a leaf or something nasty the dog left for me) the frog jumped under the kitchen cupboards. Regular wildlife, my shack.

I hate slugs (& snails), I always have salt around if I haven't a handy trowel or sharp stone, fork through them also works. Sorry if that offends any-body.

I use pet friendly slug pellets but they still manage to get my Hostas, ones in pots survive better. Used to have a Hosta bed, covered in shingle, they still climbed over it

This year I grew lots of Foxgloves, slugs chewed through most if the leaves still the flowers are beautiful

Can you encourage a hedgehog to take up residence in your garden? We have no slugs, and I think, although I haven't seen it, that we do have a hedgehog living in some brushwood.

Otherwise, I have heard that slugs adore watermelon, so if you cut one in half and fill the half with water, after you have eaten the melon, the slugs will drown.

Nope, sorry, my love of creation stops at household and garden pests, so here mice are the work of the cats, and slugs etc. are hopefully eaten by the hedgehog, otherwise they drown. I have no compunction about destroying wasps' nests and moths before they destroy my winter clothes, or my childhood teddies who have followed me through life.

I don't believe in killing any living creature and I find slugs and snails fascinating. They have just as much right to be on the planet as we do! I try to avoid plants that they like and every night in the summer I put out torn up lettuce for them which they love! If I find any round the garden, I bring them over to the patio outside the back door and they join the others in polishing off the lettuce. It costs less than buying slug pellets and is kind to them. I lose the occasional plant, but so what- in my view animals are more important than plants. I'm a Buddhist at heart. On hot dry nights they don't come out and obviously in the winter they are asleep.

This might have already been answered but would a liberal spreading of salt around the base of susceptible plant hurt the plants. Works a treat around my back step but not sure whether salt is ok near plants?

If only we still had hedgehogs- never had a problem with slugs then!
I confess I do use 'safe' pellets in my hostas & in greenhouse but I know they are not really 100% safe. None of them are.