The slugs are mocking me

[sweet thunder]

I just went out to dump and refresh the beer traps and discovered a whole family of slugs living right underneath one of them. All the trap had caught was one snail.
Maybe they just don't like skunky Corona.

[vintagejuls]

Maybe try a domestic brew...

[!potatoes!]

are they dug in so that the top of the traps are even with the soil surface?

[MartyInLA]

Try installing a wraparound rim of copper foil around the plant you want to protect (assuming all the slugs have been removed from the plant). Slugs and snails cannot stand the disgusting taste of copper.

[BarbMathias]

Or a ring of pennys. What else are they good for.

[applestar]

Now THERE's an idea. I'm might see if my kids would be up for doing that. Whether it works or not, it would be a fun thing to do.... BUT, isn't copper poisonous? Is it OK to put it around veg's? I'd better find out first!

[cynthia_h]

Copper is recommended even by John Jeavons as a method of slug/snail control. He points out, though, that if the copper is directly in contact with the earth, it's grounded, and the slug/snail won't be shocked when crossing it.

Jeavons recommends placing the copper on a board or other non-dirt item.

(This was in the email newsletter I received over the weekend from his organization.)

There *is* a minimum daily need in the human diet for copper, but it's on the order of micrograms, not milligrams. And our pennies these days are only copper-clad; most of their content is zinc.

Be sure not to let pets have access to any pennies used for slug/snail control. I read in a dog-health newsletter last year about a dog who experienced severe toxic symptoms from ingesting three pennies (I think b/c of the zinc). Surgery was required to remove the pennies from the dog's system. (And, of course, surgery cost much more than 3 cents... )

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[IndorBonsai]

I still like the beer idea,, I have found tho after weeks of trying that empty beer cans don't work and I don't want good beer to go to waist.

maybe the penny idea isn't so bad

[thrr3ee]

I heard spraying one part ammonia and two part water will get rid of slugs or placing eggshells around the plants. I've never had a problem with slugs so I have absolutely zero first hand experience with either solution.

Also keep in mind not all pennies are copper. They stopped using copper in the 80's I think.