Snails and Slugs

Snails and slugs Introduction of snails and slugs: Snails and slugs are frequent garden pests, although they don’t have much in common with garden insects. North America today has over 725 species of land snails and roughly 40 species of slugs. The majority of these were unintentionally introduced. Native species, with a few exceptions, are solitary and do little or no damage. Introduced slugs and snails are often gregarious, and high concentrations in a particular region can cause considerable harm. Slugs and snails have caused as much harm as insect infestations in several areas. Slug and snail eradication and management are tricky and expensive. These organisms are classified as mollusks in the animal kingdom, which includes octopuses and oysters. Snails have hard, protective exterior shells, which distinguishes them from other pests. Internally, some slugs have soft surfaces or conspicuous mantles, while others have none at all. Slugs and snails both have two top tentacles protruding from their heads. They have eyes on the tips and are used for sight and scent. Touch and taste are carried out by shorter, lower tentacles projecting from their heads. The life cycle of snail and slugs: Several species grow as adults or nearly develop young in the soil. Large numbers of eggs (as many as 100 at a time) are deposited in soil crevices below the mulch or fallen leaves and another cold, damp sheltered spot throughout the spring and early summer. Eggs mature and hatch about 1-3 weeks, but it might take up to 12 weeks if conditions aren’t ideal. The baby molluscs stay near the nest for many days after hatching before spreading out in quest of food. Depending on the species, maturation might take as short as 3 to 6 months or as long as a year or more. Damages: Snails and slugs eat a wide range of live plants as well as decaying plant materials. By scraping leaves and flowers with their rasp-like tongues, they produce random holes with smooth edges. Snail and slug feeding may readily cut little succulent plant sections. Slugs and snails are typically pests of seedlings and herbaceous plants because they favour succulent leaves or blooms. They are also significant turf pests, grass seedlings and close-to-the-ground ripening foods like strawberries and tomatoes. Snails and slugs will eat the bark and leaves of young plants, as well as the fruit of some trees. Citrus fruits are particularly vulnerable to damage. Other pests such as earwigs, caterpillars, and other chewing insects might be mistaken for snail and slug destruction. Look for silvery mucus trails to indicate that slugs or snails did the damage rather than other pests. How to Control:

• Remove any garbage, bricks, timber, and weeds from all growth places, and don’t cover plants with thick layers of mulch (1-3 inches is plenty).
• When the population is at its lowest, handpicking pests is most effective in the evening, 2 hours after sunset.
• If handpicking isn’t an option, consider trapping. Daytime gathering traps can be made out of cardboard strips, cabbage leaves, pebbles, or plywood.
• Stale beer in shallow pans buried in the soil can also be used. These bugs are attracted to the yeast in the beer, and they fall in and drown. Replace beer after every few days or after a rainstorm for optimal effects.
• Copper tape and diatomaceous earth are two common barriers that keep pests away from the leaves, fruits, and flowers that they feed on.
• To get rid of pests, scatter weather-resistant boric acid granules throughout flower beds, groundcovers, and ornamentals. As required, reapply every four weeks.
• Sluggo is an iron phosphate-based organic bait used on the grass or in the soil around any vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, or shrubs to minimise insect populations.