On Sun, 29 May 2011 21:42:21 +0100, "alan.holmes"
wrote:


"Jake" Nospam@invalid wrote in message
news
On Sun, 29 May 2011 11:17:35 +0100, "Eurofeeds"
wrote:

Slug trouble ... but not in the garden!!
We have slug trails across the lounge and kitchen floor every morning
(haven't seen one in the garden for ages). No idea where they're coming
in -
any thoughts anyone?

There are slugs that will live indoors if the conditions are right.
They can actually be useful in indicating a problem such as damp. I've
traced a trail back to a bit of skirting in someone's house and then
found that there's damp behind it. So it's always worth checking for
that.

Otherwise, they like kitchens (there are usually gaps to get behind
the kick boards or under the units) and they lie low in the day and
come out at night to feast.

Non damp-sorting solutions are clean up, particularly under the dining
table! Don't leave pet food down overnight and give the kitchen a good
clean, particularly removing kick boards if you can and getting under
units. You may actually find the culprit (good chance it's only one!).

Then if you have no pets or children, or can keep them out of the
rooms, put some slug pellets down around the trail "ends". Make sure
all pellets are removed in the morning before pets or children can
access the areas. Sweep them up onto something and then reuse them in
the night. With luck you'll sort the problem within a week. If it
persists longer, then damp becomes a more likely issue.

Some people suggest salt but that's messy and is unlikely to catch the
blighters - they'll recoil from it and take another route.

I have found that putting salt on a slug kills it!

Alan

Yep! Guaranteed - the salt draws out the mucus and ultimately the slug
dehydrates. My favourite method is a bucket of salty water which I
carry round the garden late in the evening. Any slugs or snails I find
go in the bucket (save for a few which go into my hedgehog feeder but
that's another story of which I must post a pic somewhere) and sizzle
away, or is it froth? They bubble nicely anyway.

But unless the OP wants to stay up all night, salt won't be the answer
- you need to drop it on the slug or totally surround it with the
stuff. If it hits some on the ground, it will simply shift into
reverse gear and change direction. But slug pellets should do the
trick.

Incidentally, Eurofeeds, DON'T sprinkle the slug pellets too closely.
The slug killer element can be detected (smelt) by slugs and they will
turn away from them. Only a small percentage of each pellet (less than
10%) is killer, the rest is something to attract them/cover the scent.
A single pellet, maybe two at most, placed carefully across a trail
would probably be enough. Half a dozen would be too many. I know this
sounds daft but so many things in life are.

Cheers
Jake