There are too many slugs and snails in our gardens because there are less birds and hedgehogs than there were. Our error not theirs.
We have a male blackbird in the front garden and another in the back. After a fight, they have both been joined by females. You will only ever have one pair in each territory. I never see Song Thrushes in the winter, but they will be back soon. they certainly eat snails as I can count the bashed shells - but not many.
I have never seen a hedgeghog in my garden, but we do have a visiting badger, which is repute to eat slugs, and hedgehogs.
I usually have a female toad who lives under a wheelie. I guess a few slugs come to her. I pamper her with woodlice.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I pick them in spring & summer, every night. I have a gravel patch where I feed the birds, and I chuck them all up there as they go mad for the seed. I f you put an upturned dish or three out (anywhere in the borders), there'll be slugs sleeping under it by morning, then you can free them into a neighbour's garden.. 🤣 but seriously, they can be moved out. I'd actually take them and put them under a hedge out the way, but I'm soft. 😄
What I miss more than most is the dawn chorous. I live near to a wood, twenty years ago it consisted of hundreds of birds now it is a few blackbirds. It seems to be the small birds that have disappeared from the garden.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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I have never seen a hedgeghog in my garden, but we do have a visiting badger, which is repute to eat slugs, and hedgehogs.
I usually have a female toad who lives under a wheelie. I guess a few slugs come to her. I pamper her with woodlice.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
We do have a family of slow-worms though!