Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had every
single turnip seedling except one.

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Thanks

Andrew

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

'Andy',

I think that his site will reassure you, but make sure to use the
pelletts very sparingly.

http://www.gardenseeker.com/slug%20pellets.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.




"Andy Hunt" wrote in message
news:uDgdc.89$Xc6.73@newsfe1-win...
I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had
every
single turnip seedling except one.

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Thanks

Andrew

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

'Andy',

Another helpful site, but the news here is definitely not good, to say
the least.

http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/Metaldeh.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.



"Andy Hunt" wrote in message
news:uDgdc.89$Xc6.73@newsfe1-win...
I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had
every
single turnip seedling except one.

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Thanks

Andrew

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

Andy Hunt wrote:

I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had every
single turnip seedling except one.

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Thanks

Andrew

Yes.

One possible problem is that soggy snail pellets can be mistaken for
slugs, and eaten directly by Song Thrushes. It is possible to get a
powder of the same composition as the pellets but which Song Thrushes
can't mistake for slugs.

Another problem is that poisoned slugs/snails don't die instantaneously
- they do move around for a while before keeling over. So, Song Thrushes
can eat what seems to be a healthy slug/snail which actually carrys a
good dose of poison.

The affects of snail/slug poisons on song birds, such as thrushes and
blackbirds is poorly understood. A possible consequence is that rather
than directly poisoning the birds, it leads to infertility. So, no
obvious amd direct result from the use of snail/slug pellets but a long
term consequence which is very difficult to trace back to the original
poison.

Of course, what you do in your garden is in practise completely
insignificant to the poisons put down by farmers.

I'd suggest you go organic - toads and frogs are much better (and
cheaper) at keeping slugs and snails under control and buying organic
food in the shops also helps reduce the use of poisons in the
countryside.
--
Larry Stoter

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

Of course, what you do in your garden is in practise completely
insignificant to the poisons put down by farmers.

--
Larry Stoter

Yeah, right larry. If you knew anything about farming you would know that
alot of them are realy strugging. Do you realy think they would apply an
expensive *poisons* as you say, for no reason. Why have a go at farmers on
this topic.

I agree some farmers do 'nuke' anything in site, but please dont tar
everyone with the same brush!

As a gardeners a agree that slug pellets are nasty, and go out of our way
not to use them.

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

I used to think that blackbirds and thrushes would not touch slugs and
snails that had been killed by pellets.
I put down some pellets last year-they lay dry for about a fortnight. Heavy
rain brought out the snails. They died in droves and with them a young
thrush that had been eating the corpses.
I'm now convinced that the demise of the song thrush is because of overuse
of slug pellets by GARDENERS.
I have stopped using metaldehyde pellets and put no toxic adsorbent as
protection around special plants. I haven't worked out yet how to protect a
Lewisia growing out of a wall.
I may shell out for biological protection for my strawberries.
"Jim S" wrote in message
...


Of course, what you do in your garden is in practise completely
insignificant to the poisons put down by farmers.

--
Larry Stoter

Yeah, right larry. If you knew anything about farming you would know that
alot of them are realy strugging. Do you realy think they would apply an
expensive *poisons* as you say, for no reason. Why have a go at farmers on
this topic.

I agree some farmers do 'nuke' anything in site, but please dont tar
everyone with the same brush!

As a gardeners a agree that slug pellets are nasty, and go out of our way
not to use them.

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

I have to use slug pellets at plant times and other times as well, but only
when and where I have to.
We have a very healthy bird population which is increasing every year and
this spring we have 2 song thrushes singing their heads off about 18 hours a
day.
We also have foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, frogs and toads, and still get heavy
flushes of slugs and snails.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

In article uDgdc.89$Xc6.73@newsfe1-win, Andy Hunt
writes
I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had every
single turnip seedling except one.

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Look . . . slugs and snails tend to come out at night and gobble up the
slug pellets.

This means they are dead by morning.

Birds that eat slugs and snails are not carrion eaters.

They will not touch anything already dead and they don't come out at
night to eat something that may be dying.

We usually use a few slug pellets early in the year and we have song
thrushes, mistle thrushes and blackbirds in the same numbers (maybe even
more as we have slowly provided more habitat) as we had 11 years ago.
A few slug pellets, judiciously placed, will not harm birds. I really
can't see any bird being stupid enough to eat a slug pellet . . . the
smell wouldn't be right.

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

David Hill8/4/04 10:36

I have to use slug pellets at plant times and other times as well, but only
when and where I have to.
We have a very healthy bird population which is increasing every year and
this spring we have 2 song thrushes singing their heads off about 18 hours a
day.
We also have foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, frogs and toads, and still get heavy
flushes of slugs and snails.

IF anything must be used, can I recommend Sluggit which is watered on, not
pellets which all manner of creatures can pick up. BUT and it is a very bit
BUT, the gardener *must* remove the corpses as quickly as possible. The
alternative is to go out late at night with a bucket of heavily salted water
and drop slugs and snails into that. It is much safer for other creatures.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

In article , David Hill
wrote:

We also have foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, frogs and toads, and still get heavy
flushes of slugs and snails.

Yeah, even in my small Brixton garden I have at least one toad and a
family of foxes and they don't seem to make any impact at all on the
damn slugs and snails. That, I'm afraid, is the ruddy balance of nature
for you.

Lazarus

--
Remover the rock from the email address

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

david taylor wrote:

I used to think that blackbirds and thrushes would not touch slugs and
snails that had been killed by pellets.
I put down some pellets last year-they lay dry for about a fortnight. Heavy
rain brought out the snails. They died in droves and with them a young
thrush that had been eating the corpses.
I'm now convinced that the demise of the song thrush is because of overuse
of slug pellets by GARDENERS.
I have stopped using metaldehyde pellets and put no toxic adsorbent as
protection around special plants. I haven't worked out yet how to protect a
Lewisia growing out of a wall.
I may shell out for biological protection for my strawberries.
"Jim S" wrote in message
...


Of course, what you do in your garden is in practise completely
insignificant to the poisons put down by farmers.

--
Larry Stoter


Gardens, even in SE Engalnd, cover a tiny fraction of the land. Farmers
have a much greater influence on anything gardeners may do. That is not
say that minmising the use of toxic chemical in gardens is not a good
idea.

--
Larry Stoter

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

Jim S wrote:

Of course, what you do in your garden is in practise completely
insignificant to the poisons put down by farmers.

--
Larry Stoter

Yeah, right larry. If you knew anything about farming you would know that
alot of them are realy strugging. Do you realy think they would apply an
expensive *poisons* as you say, for no reason. Why have a go at farmers on
this topic.

I agree some farmers do 'nuke' anything in site, but please dont tar
everyone with the same brush!

As a gardeners a agree that slug pellets are nasty, and go out of our way
not to use them.

I'm perfectly well aware that many farmers are struggling, although I
rather suspect that the agribusiness barons in E. Anglia with their
acres of oil seed rape and tons of molluscides are doing rather well.

I also understand perfectly well why some farmers do apply expensive
poisons - which are often more toxic than those available to the general
public. The molluscides are applied to increase yield and profit. These
molluscides are at least implicated, directly or indirectly, in the
decline of various bird species.

So farmers do have a responsibility - and the use of a whole range of
chemicals isn't going to solve the problems of farmers.

I am actually generally pro-farmer - they have by far the greatest
influence on the UK countryside and many do a good job at protecting and
enhancing wildlife. They have also been very badly served by politicians
and, in many cases, the NFU. I personally think that the UK farm
community could learn a great deal from French farmers.
--
Larry Stoter

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

If a bird eats a poisoned snail, will it poison the bird?

Look . . . slugs and snails tend to come out at night and gobble up the
slug pellets.

This means they are dead by morning.

Birds that eat slugs and snails are not carrion eaters.

They will not touch anything already dead and they don't come out at
night to eat something that may be dying.

We usually use a few slug pellets early in the year and we have song
thrushes, mistle thrushes and blackbirds in the same numbers (maybe even
more as we have slowly provided more habitat) as we had 11 years ago.
A few slug pellets, judiciously placed, will not harm birds. I really
can't see any bird being stupid enough to eat a slug pellet . . . the
smell wouldn't be right.


I must admit that I don't have many birds in my garden anyway, because it is
a town house - I get a few sparrows, and I'm sure I saw a great tit the
other day, but I'm no expert. I also get pigeons on my window sills. I've
never seen that many birds round my way, and certainly no blackbirds or
anything similar, so hopefully I won't be doing any damage to the local bird
population!

I don't really like the idea of putting any kind of poison down, but the
snails in my garden show me no mercy!

Thanks everyone!

Andy

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

In article uDgdc.89$Xc6.73@newsfe1-win, Andy Hunt
writes
I've been forced to put down some snail pellets, because they've had every
single turnip seedling except one.

You haven't been forced, you've chosen to rather than accept the
alternative of no turnips. ;-)


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Poisoning snails - poisoning birds?
 

In article , Larry
Stoter writes
Gardens, even in SE Engalnd, cover a tiny fraction of the land. Farmers
have a much greater influence on anything gardeners may do. That is not
say that minmising the use of toxic chemical in gardens is not a good
idea.

There seems to be evidence that gardens are now an important habitat for
song birds, which are moving from farmland habitats into gardens. that
would suggest that what we do in our gardens *is* important.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm