SLUGS!!!

[Rowlie]

We have a serious slug problem in our Victorian house which is really getting me down. There is a gap between the floor and skirting boards around the most of the rooms downstairs where they must be getting in. All floors downstairs are wooden. We were first alerted to the problem by our cleaner who spotted hundreds of trails when mopping. We have since tried taping up all the way along skirting boards, but they still manage to get in somehow. I know they can shrink to a really small size to get through even the tiniest gap. Plus our builder said the taping was bad for ventilation in the house.

I’ve even tried brushing salt under the skirting boards which did kill a couple. We have a toddler and dog so can’t use any kind of killer, not that I’m sure that would work long-term anyway.

It’s making me not want to live in the house anymore, we only bought it two years ago. I hate to think of them all coming out at night downstairs. We often find slimy residue on our sofas, dog bed, kids toys etc, it’s horrid.

I don’t know where they are getting in from outside, I guess there are living under house, and coming through vents.

Besides getting a new floor, is there anything I can do?

I have the same problem and put a post on here the other day. I don't really know what to suggest. I have bought some copper tape to put down to see if that works. I have also tried putting salt down but they are still getting in.... It's really horrible isn't it and I feel your pain, but surely there must be a solution? Following for advice..

@a1234567 I’ve wondered about getting pest control in but not sure they will suggest anything to be honest other than killer which I don’t want to use with the baby and dog.

Last night I actually came down in the night as my LO woke up and I had to get him something, there was one slithering along the side of the wall looking for a place to get out again. The problem is they are coming in anywhere and everywhere, I’m sure of it.

I did think about leaving a light on, would that deter them? They only come out in the night and as soon as I put the light on last night it stopped dead in its tracks.

It's a job for a damp proofing company.

@PTSDBarbiegirl oh do you think? Would they find a solution to plug gaps and work out where they are getting in?

I think you learn to live with them. I have some tweezers so I can chuck them out of the window if I visit the kitchen at night. Worse in damp weather. The trails disappear when you vacuum

@LaGiaconda one or two would be fine but I think we are getting a lot, whenever it’s wet and damp. The trails we have don’t go easily we found hundreds all in different directions on the wood. Even with mopping it’s hard to get rid and you can never seem to find the end of them so don’t know where the trails actually start and hence where they are coming in.

They might advise on the root of dampness problem and treat the entire place. I'd say they'd give you info on a consultation.

We ripped up all the flooring during lockdown - boredom got the better of us! I sanded and painted the floorboards and they looked amazing. Then the slugs came 😭

All you can do is try filling in every little tiny gap you can find, even the smallest ones they can get through I discovered. If you don’t have any pets try putting out a beer trap to find the ones that have hidden in the house after you have filled the gaps. Ours were hiding under the fridge, behind the dishwasher, in the shoe pile in the hallway 🤢🤢

We gave up in the end and put a new wooden floor in and we’ve not had them back.

Sorry just saw you had a dog, you could put a beer trap in the worst room and shut the door until morning so the dog doesn’t get near it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trailstopper-Slug-Repellent-All-Natural-Eco-Friendly/dp/B0B6FYQ8R4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Trailstopper&qid=1691162426&sr=8-1
This seemed to work for me

@BringItOnxxx can I use this in the house?

@UnfortunateTypo we’d have to get a new floor in two rooms which will be costly. What did you fill up the gaps with?

there are so many, in the floors/walls/doors I think it would be an impossible mission tbh :(

I used it on the back door outside to stop them getting in under the door.

Can you use a UV pen in the dark to see where they are getting in mostly?

Depends on how big the gaps are. We used clear mastic, that worked one most of our gaps, and remember the ones between the skirting and the floorboards. We had some heftier ones we tried to fill but it just didn’t work - and the slug won!.

I did see a Sarah Beeny fix which I didn’t try (I had enough when I stood on one in the kitchen!). That was get some saw dust the same colour as your floor, mix it with some sort of glue and then fill the bigger holes with that. Have a look on YouTube, it’s bound to be there somewhere.

They are attracted to dog food and cat food so make sure that is well away, air tight at night. Also pet water bowls, put salt all around them so slugs don't go in them as they can give dogs diseases.
We have the blighters too. Found and threw out 17 once. Keeping floor crumb free and locking up dog food helps as did washing floor in bleach!

Could you vigorously apply nematodes to the garden front and back? See if it has any effect. Surely they are coming from outside. What kind of garden do you have? Patio? Lawn? https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/6-nemaslug-slug-killer?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjww7KmBhAyEiwA5-PUSryOVox-bc_HWs6NXPz2m4jHFc83R0r0jkVSW9KabFJ954XargcsuhoCTsUQAvD_BwE

Thank you for this, I’ve just ordered some. I’ve got subsidence and the door doesn’t fit well. The slugs come in for the cat biscuits and I find trails every morning.

Ours have gone since we replaced our patio doors with new properly fitted double glazing. An expensive solution!

We have three key spots that they appear - by the back patio doors (ill-fitting extension), under the stairs, and weirdly on the bottom step (probably related to those under the stairs). We've never successfully eradicated them so we have one golden rule - never come downstairs barefoot during the night 😧

I think your problem is damp under the house. We had loads of slugs in our old house, eventually we had our kitchen redone and the builder called me in to the kitchen and said look at this, he pushed his spade into the floor and it just sank in.. he said I’m surprised you didn’t have a massive slug problem! When I said we do actually, he rolled his eyes 🤣. Do you perhaps have or have had quarry tiles in your house? We had to dig our kitchen out about 2 feet and have it concreted .

We have this problem and I can't figure out where they're coming from. We see them in the garage and also the hallway and trails in the living room. I saw one slithering up the wall in the conservatory the other week. The trails seem to be mainly in the hallway then there will be a random one under a table. We had someone from the letting agency come and look but no one knows.

@statetrooperstacey not sure about quarry tiles but we do have some damp, nothing major though. It’s an old Victorian in Bath and I think damp is pretty common.

Our kitchen floor is new and sealed, they definitely aren’t getting in there but in the dining room and living room there’s wooden floor with huge gaps all the way around skirting board. There are also gaps in a cupboard where the meters are and around the front door.

@Monster80 Thanks that stuff looks good. The problem is I feel like they may be living under the house - I never see any outside really.

I would honestly try as slugs and their babies live in the ground. So any exposed earth near the edge of the house could be the access point. Good luck x

Fill the gaps between the skirting and floorboards with foam filler, then trim away the excess with a Stanley knife. Choose one which can be sanded and painted. We have a 1930s house and had to use foam because of the draughts which turned the edges of the carpets black. It solved the problem so should be able to keep out the slugs too.