Having trouble with slugs in your garden? They are members of the mollusk family and not insects. Their one inch long soft bodies are covered with a slimy mucus membrane causing them to be unattractive from the human point of view.
They are fast eaters of leafy green plants and therefore one of the more disliked garden "bugs". They can live for years over-wintering in the soil and emerge in the spring to eat their way through your garden treasures. The slugs emerge at night and leave a trail of mucus as well as defoliated plants. They typically like a carefully mulched garden. Birds, beetles, turtles and snakes all like to dine on them but slugs only come out at night and usually are not disturbed by their enemies.
Numerous methods of killing slugs exist such as commercial slug baits and traps filled with beer. An alternative that keeps other critters away from the bait was created by Helmet Brodka from Renton, Washington. It requires an empty 2 liter soft drink bottle. Cut off the top end and drop a spoonful of slug bait in the bottom. Invert the pointed top end into the bottom section of the bottle. Staple the sides together in 3 places and place the trap in the garden next to a leafy plant. The slug will crawl in through the small opening attracted by the bait and not be able to get out. Use the bottle for several weeks and then discard. Start over again for you will never be able to get ride of all the slugs but you can keep them under control.
Jay Dickson, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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