Eco way to kill snails

[posalie]

What's an eco way to kill snails and slugs? We inherited a beautiful garden, and it's just full of snails (and some slugs) at the moment. The previous owner had lots of slug pellets and similar, but we're worried these will also harm hedgehogs and other wildlife. Is there an eco way to kill them?

(I know some people prefer not to kill them at all, but I need to kill them I'm afraid.)

That's SO funny about thinking it was bear traps to kill the slugs, I haven't laughed so much in quite a while 😂

That's SO funny about thinking it was bear traps to kill the slugs, I haven't laughed so much in quite a while 😂

Throw them into next door's garden, especially if you have horrible neighbours.

NO NO NO

Get a pond. Wait for the frogs and newts to come. They will eat all your snails and slugs.

Also feed your garden birds. They will eat any S n S they can find.

Please don't just kill them - this is why we soon won't have any wildlife left.

I found nematodes very effective, but do bear in mind that the month of wet weather mean that the snail and slug populations are off the scale at the moment.

It will get better - if it ever stops raining...

Our allotment was slug heaven. I've never seen such large long slugs, it was incredible. You couldn't walk on the grass barefoot, you'd slip on them! I'm not crazy about them but I can't be bothered with killing them, snails I actively like. I might feel different if I depended on their crops though to feed myself and my kids, luckily I don't. Never managed to get an uneaten strawberry yet.

This reminds me of a tale of DH's grandad, who used to go poaching with rum soaked raisins, back in the war year. He'd sprinkle them about, wait for the pheasants to eat them, then grab one when it was too drunk to resist.

You bunch of murderers! 😂

%3D

I do that too.

What the f is wrong with some of the people on this thread.

I don't kill anything in my garden, I couldn't.
I find ways to keep them off the plants they like.
So for small trees like Magnolias I get a large clear plastic bottle and cut the top off, then cut spikes around the top and slit the bottle lengthways. Pop it around the base of the tree. The slugs and snails won't crawl over the spikes.
Potted plants like Hostas get put on plant stands if they're on the patio. I put plastic spike mats from Amazon onto the soil around shrubs ( also keeps cats and foxes from doing their business in the soil)
Eggs shells work well scattered around plants as do ground coffee waste which is also great for the soil.
There really is no need to kill them.

That was very resourceful of his grandfather Areila

I’ve got a pond with lots of frogs. I lifted up an old tile today and there was a frog nestling there along side two slugs. I have many, many birds in the garden and a fox (which will eat slugs) yet I have a garden full of slugs and snails. I can collect 50 at a time easily. I found the garlic spray to be good before but had forgotten about it, so thanks to PP who posted a link to the method. I will be making some at the weekend.

I pick them off by with a gloved , pop them in a bucket and then empty said bucket onto the river bank across the road , they can take their chances over there

That should say gloved hand 😃

I collect at night when it's damp. Chuck them in a container and pour boiling water over them. Dispose of them under the tree where the birds eat them.

It's quick and non toxic.

into the compost bin!

It's all very well saying we should encourage predators and nature finds a way ... but I don't get any hedgehogs in my tiny, brick-wall-enclosed London terrace row of back gardens. Nor thrushes - never seen a single one - and just one starling, years ago. Woodpigeons are the only big birds and they don't seem to like snails & slugs for dinner.

If I don't cull every 4 years or so, there are so many snails that you can barely walk between them on a rainy day. That can't be good for them, either.

Horrible thread! Just because it eats your plants doesn’t give you the right to be unnecessarily cruel. Just use natural deterrents about whichever plants they seem to go for. Allow wildlife to do its thing.

Perhaps "scoop 'em up and send them soaring over to France? They like 'em there, apparemment"