Forum home› Wildlife gardening
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Do you have less slugs this year?

debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
in Wildlife gardening
Hi all, always had lots of slugs in my garden but this year seen hardly any so far, all my lupins doing well and no damage on my dahlias? Anyone else noticed a lack of these little creatures? I used nematodes last year and think we may have at least one hedgehog 🦔 or was it the hot dry summer? 
Maybe I am speaking too soon and they will have a population explosion in the next few weeks. 
If I got young slugs and fed them only bindweed do you reckon they would get a taste for it? 
«13

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Shhhh! They’ll hear you 🤫

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Big Blue SkyBig Blue Sky Posts: 716
    Not sure about slugs, but definitely more vine weevil 🙁
    Surrey
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Come to think of it, it's been mostly snails so far. Not that it makes much difference. The effect is the same😕
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Loads of slugs here but we do seem to have a shortage of the banded snails.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    Currently, for us, the lack of rain (and recent cold temperatures?) seems to mean fewer slugs out and about at night. But I'm sure they'll return when the rain does.
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    I'm noticing less slugs this spring. I reckon last years heatwave killed off a lot in my garden, judging by the amount of whiffy corpses I found over the summer.

    Overnight rain has seen the snails rise to the top of the low hedge by the front path, making it much easier to pick them off into my slug bucket.
    I've loads of banded ones if you want me to send you some wild edges 😉.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I am touching wood and crossing my fingers at the same time. My hostas are looking pretty good at the moment 🤞.
    We do have hedgehogs in the garden and a fair few birds. I have found those little black slugs and the tiger (?) ones, but not many of the big ones - yet ! I think the smaller ones are the ones that are supposed to do the most damage. I did think it was unusual for the time of year, l am sure plants have been decimated by now. Must be the lack of heavy rain.
  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    yep I have noticed less slugs for sure, still a few snails about. But although I am happy about less snails we also have had all our tadpoles die this year so I am a bit cautious to be happy about this change whatever it is.
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    edited May 2019
    We have FEWER molluscs leading to LESS damage on the plants.
    There speaks the pedant.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Fewer slugs than snails in this garden and less of a problem to deal with as the snails are easier to pick up and lob into the hedgerow across the road or stamp on if OH is feeling mean.

      
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
Sign In or Register to comment.