My New Slug Traps
It's been beautiful weather lately, and the garden has been calling. So, each day after work, Dozer and I work in the garden until it's time for me to go in and start dinner. I've transplanted lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage. They're so cute! But then, the slugs thought so too. I didn't want to use snail and slug bait because I'd feel awful if Dozer got some without me knowing. So I tried ....... beer. Yes, beer.
I had a bunch of plastic bottles waiting to be recycled, so I cut them up, saving the tops and bottoms to bury in the garden. I put them in strategic locations, put about 3/8" of beer in each one, and waited overnight.
That next morning, I picked out 30 slugs from my 6 little beer traps. Wahoo! Today I added more traps, and loaded them up! Beer. It's my new best friend! Who knew it was good for more than just bread??
Or slugs really like a good alcoholic beverage from time to time? :-)
ReplyDeleteNow that is interesting. Who knew slugs like beer? I will keep it in mind for my garden.
ReplyDeleteElzaan
Yup, I used a lot of beer when we lived in Monterey, CA. The slugs would eat my flowers overnight. Hubby taught me that one, but we were always careful to buy cheap beer. :) Never mattered to those slimy little guys.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe you're gardening already. We still have three feet of snow on top of my raised beds and field garden!
ReplyDeleteBeer works for any slug problem we may have up here in the north, too. For sure, don't buy expensive beer. The ugly creatures have no preferences, good or bad!
Becca, I guess slugs can't have just a little.
ReplyDeleteHuisvlyt, I'd heard about it, but hadn't tried it up until about a week ago. It's working like a charm!
Lorie, Did you have the banana slugs? I've heard they're huge. The slugs in my garden are about an inch or thereabouts.
Mama Pea, Sweet, huh? I'm loving it now, but come summertime, I'll be wishing I had your night time temps. Gets pretty warm here. We're in Zone 9.
You know, as many times as I have read about using beer in slug traps, I've never tried it! I'm going to do it this year. I'll pry that beer from Mr. Granny's hands and use it in the garden, whether he likes it or not. Of course, it will be at least a couple of months before I have to put it to the test in my garden.
ReplyDeleteI've used beer slug traps in the past and they definitely work. I just need to remember to keep some cheap beer on hand during gardening season!
ReplyDeleteAG, this is the first time I've done it here, and so glad I did. Ha! That was my hubby's contribution, too!
ReplyDeleteRobin, if I pilfer the beer from the pantry, he will never know. I think so long as I don't take the last one from the frig, on a hot summer day, it's all good.
I'll bet you could even dilute the beer with half water, and it would still be effective....you can't kill the odor of beer!
ReplyDeleteHah! Now I know what to do with empty plastic bottles to save my garden! I have heard slugs like beer, but I have never tried it. The worst here are those huge snails with the "house" on, I use to bang them in the wall or throw them on the road and hope for a car to crush them!
ReplyDeleteI did see banana slugs when we lived in Monterey, but thankfully never in my garden. They are HUGE and would have wiped everything out. No, we just had the normal garden variety. I found the beer worked very well, but the overall best way was hand picking. I would get up early, before the kids (they were toddlers then) and drink my first cup of coffee and pick the slugs. The neighbors thought I was nuts (but I did win garden of the month multiple times). Just shows the lengths a gardener will go to!
ReplyDeleteLorie
AG, Great idea! I'm going to find out if diluted beer works, with all this rain we've been having.
ReplyDeleteAstrid, I usually find more snails out than I have this year. Not saying that I miss them, just noticing!! I usually smash their shells, then give them to the chickens. They go bonkers for them.
Lorie, the slugs I've been getting lately are smaller than our normal size. (Nothing close to the banana slug size!) They are very good at hiding, you must have been a much more committed gardener than I am to have been able to get lots just by hand picking them. Gardener of the Month!! Woohoo! I'm impressed. Congrats!
I used to give snails to my turtle, she'd eat them up. I don't think I've ever given any to our chickens, though I'm sure they'd love them too. We have a TON of snails that hang around our front planter, but fortunately there really aren't many back in the garden. The garden has lots of roly polies, though. And Gophers. I wish beer worked as well for them XD
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