Slugs In Bedroom
Homes in Birmingham and across the UK are set to be invaded by a plague of slugs.
The slimy creatures thrive in mild, wet conditions so the current weather - which has seen heavy rain and flooding in parts of Birmingham at the end of September and start of October - is bringing them out in force.
As far back in August, one couple reported finding eight or ten slugs at a time coming into the kitchen - and even discovered one in their kettle.
But the damp weather this autumn will make the problem worse and more widespread.
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Crop protection specialists Certis forecasts a "considerable increase" in slugs this autumn and winter because of the many days of wet weather.
It has a Slugwatch app for farmers that is showing a red alert for Wednesday, October 16, when thousands of the slimy horrors will be very active.
So what can you do if you are being overrun with slugs?
Hayley Jones, from the Royal Horticultural Society, says slugs come inside to find something they need such as warmth or shade.
She told CountryLiving the most common culprit - the yellow cellar slug - eats mostly mould and algae but will also munch on leftovers, pet food and compost.
It is attracted to dark, damp places such as vents and drains and is strictly nocturnal, which is why we discover the horrible slimy trails on our kitchen floors and counters in the morning.
Tips for dealing with slugs getting inside the home include following the trail back to its entry point to see where they are coming in. A torch will help to illuminate the glistening mucus they leave behind.
Then seal the openings if possible. That means fitting a draught excluder on external doors, new kick boards along the bottom of kitchen units, and using a foam filler to block other gaps and cracks.
Remember that slugs have no bones and can squash themselves flat to squeeze through narrow openings.
Try not to leave pet food on the kitchen floor overnight - wash the bowls and put them away until the next day.
Slugs have a keen sense of smell and love chomping on plants and so another suggestion is not to leave any vegetable peelings, remnants or leftovers in the kitchen overnight, including pans of water that have been used to cook your broccoli.
All that will smell like a heavenly buffet to a slug so rinse pans and plates and take vegetable waste straight out to your green recycling bin or composter.
Gardening speclalists BillyOh.com urge people not to resort to pesticides that can harm other creatures and pollute waterways.
It instead offers nine alternative methods that will help you get rid of any slugs and snails in the garden or house. It doesn't include the well-known method of sprinkling salt because this is easily dissolved away by rain.
1. Citrus peels
Slugs love citrus, so don't throw away your orange or lemon rinds. Instead put them in your garden to bait the slugs and snails away from your plants.
In the morning, check your peels to see if any slugs or snails are on them, and remove these from your garden. Refresh with new peels as appropriate to continue your decoy operation.
2. Rough surfaces
Slugs and snails hate crawling over scratchy surfaces, so try surrounding the stems of your plants with crushed eggshells or insert a sand-paper collar around the stem. Sprinkling sand around edges would work too. This won't kill them, but it might slow them down and keep them off your plants.
3. Copper
Strangely enough, research shows that slugs and snails cannot tolerate crawling on copper surfaces, which gives them a mild electrical shock when they move across it. So, put copper bands or strips of copper tape around flowerpots or beds to deter them from slithering up and onto your plants. Pennies will work just as well too.
4. Herbal repellents
Planting sage or mint around your garden plants will help deter slugs and snails. Other herbs and plants which may deter these critters include garlic, fennel, and even geraniums.
5. Vinegar spray
Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a pump spray bottle and spray any you see. As vinegar is mildly acidic, it will kill any snails or slugs it touches. However, vinegar is toxic to vegetation, so only spray snails or slugs that haven't yet reached your plants.
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6. Ammonia spray
Alternatively, you can mix equal parts ammonia and water and spray snails and slugs as described above.
7. Coffee (yes, really!)
Slugs and snails cannot tolerate caffeine, so you can deter them by placing coffee grounds around your plants.
8. Natural predators
You can encourage native slug-hungry predators to inhabit your garden. For example, birds love slugs, so you could install a birdbath or birdhouse. Other creatures such as frogs, toads, hedgehogs, shrews and ducks all eat slugs too.
9. Beer trap
Bury an open container so that the rim is level with the ground and put about an inch of beer in it. The slugs will dive into this shallow beer pool and meet their drunken demise. Check the trap each morning and clean it out as necessary. A saucer filled with beer and placed on the top of the ground is said to work just as well.
Source: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-keep-slugs-out-your-17084270
