Gibby's Garden Diary Entry #7: Snail Alert!

July 15, 2013

Image: Adityamadhav83/Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to the usual pests in my garden, I’ve never had a problem with snails until now. Heck, I’ve hardly ever seen them sans the beach until this season. Not only have I been spotting snails in their tiny orange shells sticking to my weed bucket and popping up in the rows of my garden, but I’ve noticed quite a few while out walking the dogs.

I wondered why the sudden influx of snails. Could it be the heavy rains and intense humidity on the odd day of sunshine? Is there something different about my gardens that these snails are attracted too? I did a little reading in one of my go to garden books, Rodale Organic Gardening Basics, “Pests” and found that snails, much like slugs, are attracted to decaying plant matter and love to feed on young plants.

I do have a thick layer of mulch hay in two of my gardens and several inches of leaves in another used to prevent weeds and to keep the ground moist. While I will not forgo my mulch, it drastically reduces the amount of time I spend weeding, I have found a quick, cheap and organic solution to help control these slimy trailed garden pests - beer traps.

I’ve used beer traps to control the slug population in my gardens for quite a few years now, and I’ve been happy with the results. I’ve doubled my efforts and put out more beer traps where I’ve noticed the highest population of snails. I’ve attracted quite a few so far, and make sure to hand pick all snails that I see when weeding.

Snails and slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer, which if you’re like me, you always have an odd can or two in the fridge. I set out my traps in a shady spot slightly away from the garden if possible. Intense sun leads to mold in the traps causing them to need to be changed more often, and placing the traps outside of the garden lures the snails out rather than in.

If you’d like to know how to easily make your own snail and slug beer traps, click on over to my post, How to Make Your Own Slug Traps, to find out how.

What pests have you noticed in your garden this year?

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Gibby's Garden Diary entry #6 - Plant List (previous entry)

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How to Control Slugs Organically

Image: born1945, Flickr

I don’t know about your vegetable garden, but mine has already begun attracting slugs and its still early June. Slugs are common garden pests here in Maine and in other parts of the country. They slither their way in during the dead of night and chew through the leaves of our plants. So what are we as organic gardeners to do?

We take a stand and make our own slug traps; organically. Learning to make your own slug traps is pretty easy, takes a matter of minutes and most supplies are already around the home. Here’s what you need and what to do.

Slug Trap Supplies

Empty Containers - Tuna or cat food cans will do

Beer - Beer can be leftover and warm from the night before or from a newly opened bottle or can

How to Make Your Own Slug Traps

1. Clean your empty containers and place them around the garden where you’ve noticed slugs or the destruction they’ve left behind

2. Fill the containers halfway with beer

Beer attracts slugs; don't ask me why but it does. Filling your traps no more than half way with beer prevents the slugs from slithering back out. Once in the traps, they drown. 

Once you’ve set your traps, check on them a day or two later; I bet you’ll be amazed at how many slugs you’ve attracted. Make sure to check on your traps at least a few times a week, empty their contents and refill with beer.

This is how I control slugs in my vegetable garden every year. I place my traps in the shade from my plants to help keep them from getting moldy. They usually need to be emptied and refilled a few times a week until the slug population gets under control.

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