I have a slug problem (diagram included)

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Please help me! I am being outsmarted by a slug, or worse and probably more likely, slugs.

I keep waking up to trails on the living room carpet, hallway carpet, on the kitchen bin and even half way up the living room WALL which is above the corner sofa!!! It's gross. Can't work out whether they're coming from the kitchen or hallway.

Reluctant to use salt as I don't want the gew on my carpet if they slither into it, and also it seems abit mean, dissolving them. However if this is the only way then I'll try it.

What time do slugs come out? Tempted to set an alarm in the night to catch them.

I know that finding out where they're coming in is vital BUT, when you find a trail, you don't know if they were going forwards or backwards!? Diagram included to show possible entrances.

Please give me your wisdom - how do I stop this

They come out at a time when you're a bit pissed, wake up in the night and go downstairs for a drink of water in your bare feet. Foolproof.

@Hawk don't! That hasn't happened yet and is my worst nightmare.

If someone tells me it climbed on the sofa to get to the wall I'm going to be really mad about it!

Copper tape around the inside edges of the door frame, they really can’t cross it.

We have this. In one downstairs room that has original floor boards with cavity underneath. I have assumed they come up through the floor.
Never see the buggers, just the disgusting slime trail. Weirdly some days much worse than others . Think they alternate houses for a slug rave

@BillywilliamV do you mean on the floor across the threshold of each room? Or just a little on each side of the door frame?

These slugs aren't fussed about keeping to the edges of the room, they're confident! Trails right through the middle of the carpet.

Very impressive diagram. I had a similar problem, slime all over the shoes by the front door and across the living room carpet. I sprayed bleach over my front door and they don’t seem to have come back,but I’m still perplexed at how they could get through the front door anyway as it’s has a very tight seal

Leave out a deep saucer of beer and you will find him in it in the morning.

@nearlyoldenough good lord, the thought of them emerging from the floor is making me itch. The LR is fully carpeted and hall has a concrete floor so hoping it isn't the same for me.

I suspect they're coming in from the cupboard under the stairs somehow. There always seems to be lots of trails around there and all over the shoes! Eugh!

Ours come in through the tiny gap between the (North facing) back door and doorframe. If we salt the doorstep and door jamb it stops, and we know the salt is all used up because the come in again.
They like the nighttime, at 3am they are all out and they hide in the day, no idea where. Very strange. We keep a lot of salt in for this reason.

I’m really sorry having already freaked you out but they will have climbed over your sofa.
We have throws on a sofa in that room and get slug trails on it
Sorry 😜

Yes, n the cupboard under the stairs is where all your trails seem to lead back to.

Salt behind the door?

Gravel, tin foil? The beer traps really do work though. They can't resist it! Or raving

We also leave all kinds of upside down pots around the garden to give the frogs some hidey holes, as if we have frogs we see fewer slugs.
In fact I think we need a hedgehog.

@Sevo7 why thank you, it took me 2 tries!

Bleach on doorstep, I can definitely try that. Our front door is also really solid and well sealed and we also have the porch door so not really convinced that's where they're coming in but definitely want to cover all bases.

@marly11 ok, don't have a deep saucer, I have a pasta bowl, will that work?

I'm quite new to real adult life and the whole home owning thing so all of this is new to me. Ok I have a few things to try now. If anyone thinks of anything else throw it at me!

If I catch them in the pasta bowl and they drown, will more come? Or will that be it for a while?

Easier than tempting a hedgehog is to buy a chicken.

Your under stairs cupboard does look to be where the nest is, however it’s odd they venture into the living room but not the dining room if you’re wanting to catch them out 3am is a good time I’ve found for catching creepy crawlies, my ants always venture out about 3am!

You want these buggers Nematodes. Get the powder, immediately hydrate it as per instructions then go all round the ground nearest your walls with a watering can and water the ground with the mix. This will end your problem, it's the nuclear but also salt and chemical free option.

Could you have a leak anywhere? I lived in a house share once and kept seeing slugs, turns out under the kitchen cupboard was damp and they were fucking breeding under there omg it was like something from attack of the slugs 😩😩

Sorry to say, but a childhood friend had them living inside their couch (draughty victorian house).

Ok yes I will salt the kitchen back door threshold and the under stairs cupboard tonight.

@nearlyoldenough that's IT! You're banned from the thread. I don't want to hear another word from you😂

I don't have any beer in but will get some tomorrow. I wonder what they'll want?

We get them coming in through the front door, and in and around the meter cupboards next to the door. I spray slug killer on the inside of the doors and put rock salt down around the outside (leftover from winter). Stops them coming for a couple of months. Then just repeat as soon as we see another one.

I left out a bowl of lager one night. It was yucky to empty out the following morning but certainly did the trick!

San Miguel to be precise!!

@Crockof the last thing I need is a chicken or a hedgehog!! Jesus

@Sevo7 can we stop with the word 'nest' please? I can't!!!!

@ExCwmbranDweller fabulous I will look into those in a minute - thanks!

@cosmo30 interesting you say that, not really a leak but outside the house where the under stairs cupboard is I had a 'sunken drain' where the ground was getting a bit wet, apparently that's really bad? So I got that fixed over summer (cost an arm and a leg and you can't even see it but there heyho) maybe if there's still some wetness or there has been previously that could explain it?

@Hawkmoth you can leave as well now!

I'm struggling here people! Who knew a house was so much responsibility?

But a chicken will turn your slugs into eggs.....

We get them in our kitchen. Old house and they seem to come up through the floor behind the kick board panel and squeeze through a mmm of tap!! Always come out through the night 4-5 in the morning. Horrible, horrible things 🤮