Molluscs! (slugs and snails)
| Published: 31st July 2007 01:18 |
The recent constant wet weather has seen an apparent increase in the predominance of the notorious garden pests, slugs 
and snails and many gardeners have experienced the devastation that these creatures can wreak. Participants in the AboutMyArea Sunflower Challenge, for example, may have been affected.
Apparently, Britain, though not (touch wood!) affected by many devastating pests such as locusts, is the ‘slug and snail capital of the world'! The cool, damp conditions of this summer, preceded by a mild winter have been the perfect conditions for these voracious creatures.
It is not guaranteed that plants placed at a height, for example onto shelves or staging, will be immune from slugs or snails. I have seen a snail climb five feet!
How do we know that slugs or snails have been around our plants? This answer is fairly obvious. The plants have been eaten and the blighters have left a slimy trail! Snails are fairly self-evident but there are four main types of slug. These are:
The Field slug is small but nonetheless hungry! It is usually grey/fawn in colour and is a surface feeder, specializing in our vegetable and salad crops, although it is not adverse to the occasional hosta!
The garden slug is also small, with a pale side stripe. In addition to surface eating, it can burrow and damage roots.
The black slug is massive, the largest of the slug population and it can grow to as much as 20cm in length! This is probably the least destructive of the group, tucking in to rotting vegetation as a preference but it can be very disturbing to see one of these on the path or patio!
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