Hi.

At 11pm last night we outside with bucket, torch, and forceps to see
what slugs we might catch. We were ASTOUNDED. Yesterday this valley in
western mid-Wales had its first rain since early June (yes, we've lost
several cherished shrubs owing to the dryness of the earth). We had
felt that the two months of no rain would have massively reduced the
slug population. But, no, the garden was alive with literally 100s of
slugs AND snails, of many different sub-species. After an hour we
became tired with the bending over and plucking from ground and decided
we had made a fair killing. The household bucket, filled with warm
soapy water, was one third full of slugs and snails. We walked 200
yards into the middle of an adjacent field and dumped them - one great
horrible wriggling gelatious mess about 16" in diameter and an inch or
so thick! Ugh!

Most interestingly the greatest concentrations of slugs and snails were
around the blue slug pellets we had put down yesterday afternoon, just
before the rain. Wherever there were pellets there were up to half a
dozen snails and slugs, some up to three inches long, all entertwined,
copulating, feeding, and, hopefully, dying. We use the slug pellets
which are safe for children/cats/birds, which activate only when wet,
and which break down to form a natural fertilizer . . . BUT they ARE
expensive.

We have read that putting lots of pine needles all over your garden
deters the blighters. How effective is this? Has anyone tried it?

We've also read that slugs and snails LOVE oat bran but it swells up
inside them and kills them. Has anyone tried this, and is this
effective and practical?

Best Wishes,
Ellie.