Not weather related, if it’s too cold or too hot they just seal over and sleep, they can do that for years. Don't worry about killing them, they don’t have a nervous system so don’t feel pain.
Try using garlic solution spray over your plants the snails do not like it. The recipe can be found on the Isle of Wight garlic farm web site. Just preparing my first batch to try out as it is supposed to be harmless to plants.
Can't say I've noticed much of a difference, although as it's been a mild winter again, there's probably more. There's always tons of slugs, so it's just the normal state for us.
I think perhaps its more to do with the frosts keeping them sheltered and out of trouble. If their active season is longer then it would stand to reason their numbers would be higher.
@mcrazz yes they climb the walls and wait till it's late I find! That is the thing with lovely climbing plants like Clematis: the plant and snails shared the same habitat I am finding them on my olive trees and Callicarpa Bodineri. Plus Hypericum Hidcote ( a new plant which is young as is my Viburnum plicatum - that is badly damaged with only 2 flower bracts left.Think I might have to take my snails to the park but the slugs are too difficult to find and I cannot actively kill them!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
I think there's a misapprehension about frosts stopping them. If that was the case, we'd have very few here in most springs....
It's not so much the frosts stopping them but in a colder winter their active period would be shorter so less breeding etc, and I imagine there would be more hungry predators looking for them when it's cold. Apart from the drought last year they've had pretty favourable conditions for a couple of seasons here which I think is why we're having the population boom at the moment. It will be a good year to be a thrush chick anyway.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I can't get my head round that though - if the last two winters here have been milder/drier than usual, which they have, I'd expect to see loads more than normal, but I can't say that's the case. We'd normally have around 50 to 60 frosts or more, from about early October until end of April approx, wet/windy through October/Nov/Dec, with our coldest weather from January onwards, and April would have every kind of weather - frost/ice/snow/rain/wind and even some sun. The huge difference in the last two winters would surely suggest they'd be far more plentiful if they'd had a longer breeding season, but they really haven't been noticeably worse.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have noticed no difference at all in my garden. Young leaves of Phlomis were attacked but that is normal. Not a problem here as I live near to a small wood. Guess I am lucky to have plenty of birds to keep the population down.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@wild edges I will have a look out for the stripy ones! They might be the sandy coloured ones? Think mine are the normal types, but will have to put with a torch, later!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
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Don't worry about killing them, they don’t have a nervous system so don’t feel pain.
We'd normally have around 50 to 60 frosts or more, from about early October until end of April approx, wet/windy through October/Nov/Dec, with our coldest weather from January onwards, and April would have every kind of weather - frost/ice/snow/rain/wind and even some sun. The huge difference in the last two winters would surely suggest they'd be far more plentiful if they'd had a longer breeding season, but they really haven't been noticeably worse.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...