Adventures in Ethics and Science

Snail eradication (day 31).

Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on June 8, 2009
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Yet another dry, overcast morning. Not the kind of weather when one feels like sliding on one’s foot across scratchy leaves or stems.

At least if one is a snail or slug.

I went right to the instant-gratification spots for slug capture. Only two out of the six locations yielded slugs today. One of them also had a wee snail.

Then, as yesterday, I peeked at the sides of the raised garden beds that are up against the fence with the neighboring yard. Today there was just one snail clinging tenaciously to a bed. I dislodged it with my garden stake, rolled it to within my reach, and tossed it in the soapy bucket of merciful deliverance.

I thought of one more potential gastropod hiding place today, near the recessed sprinkler heads on the wee lawn. I checked all the heads and found exactly one slug.

It’s been a while since we’ve watered the lawn, I guess.

Today’s take: seven slugs and two snails.

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Comments

  1. #1 Lee
    June 8, 2009

    Yes, hunting and dispatching snails and slugs is so, so satisfying, in a disconcertingly joyful sort of way.

    I hates them, I hates them, yes I does.

    But you might look into another option. There is a product called “Sluggo”, which is nothing more than 1% Iron Phosphate, mixed into a general slug and snail bait. Put it into your garden, the little slimies eat it, it knocks out their appetite, they stop feeding on your garden, and then die in 3-7 days. The bait is degradable, and when it breaks down, it releases the iron phosphate into your soil as fertilizer. It is a rather strong eye irritant, and causes algae blooms if it gets into waterways, so you want to keep it away from streams, ponds, your eyes, and the little Free-Rides.

    I live in Oakland on the edge of the Berkeley fog belt – this stuff made it possible for me to grow chard, lettuces, etc, after a couple years of running a soup kitchen for hungry snails, instead of a garden.