Slugs have always given me an icky feeling. I think it has something to do with the sliminess. Plus, I can hardly figure out their face. Quite creepy, eh! But for humanity’s sake, I won’t really crush them to death if I saw them. Instead, I would run around screaming or may be, I will stand there staring at them, feeling disturbed. No, wait, FOCUS! I have to help you get rid of slugs from your house.
What could be more putting off than seeing slimy little creatures crawling around your house? You don’t even need to have molluscophobia to want to get rid of slugs. Can you believe, when our ancestors lived under thatched roofs and straw walls, slugs must have been quite a common sight? If I may tell you, slugs are night creatures. They are most seen when the day hits dusk. They also love moisture! And will mostly pay a visit to you with the rains. Though they are so harmless, I am not inviting them to my house. They are mostly going to stay in your garden but they do damage beautiful garden and house artifacts with their slime and eat your plants. You may even be the lucky one to step on one with your barefoot.
If you have seen huge yellow, brown or green colored slugs, they are the banana slugs. However, the most commonly sighted slugs in the United States are gray, black, tan, red or yellow ones. Their length varies from an inch to about six inches. The garden slugs burrow deep into the soil and damage the roots of your plants, especially the new ones.
Ways to Get Rid of Slugs
Alcohol is the Solution to Some Problems
Well, here, beer can be your best friend. Slugs love beer too. They like the smell of the yeast and are easily attracted to it. You may sacrifice a mug or two of your strong beer and put it in a bowl in your lawn or house. The slugs will pop into it but since they do not know how to swim, they won’t be able to get out of it. It is one of the best ways to get rid of slugs. You better know, raccoons and dogs love the smell of yeast too.
Tip: After a party, use the flat beer left around for the same purpose. You won’t be wasting your alcohol and bonus, putting it to a good use will help you deal with eliminating slugs from your house. If you don’t have the heart to waste your beer on these bugs, substitute it with the cheapest grape juice you can find in the market. The juice works just as fine. You could also use a mixture of yeast and water.
Sprinkle Some Salt
For the ones who are not very sensitive, sprinkle some salt on these bugs after you have caught them and put them in the sun. Slugs hate salt. They will be dehydrated and die without moisture. You can also follow their trails and pour some salt on their entrance.
Nothing Like the Smell of Coffee
As much as slugs like beer, they also like coffee. And you thought your teenagers were the spoiled ones? Take coffee cans with coffee grounds and put them on the corners of your house and watch the magic unfold.
Wood Ash
You can sprinkle some wood ash along the sides of your garden bed. Until it rains, your garden will remain slug-free. Then, sprinkle it again. It is a more ‘slug-friendly’ way of getting rid of them.
Slug Pellets
My friends tell me that placing slug pellets around the house can help you absolutely get rid of them within 2 months. But, do you know? When birds eat poisoned slugs, they die too. From a more bird-friendly point of view, slug pellets are not safe for the environment.
Diatomaceous Earth
It is a naturally occurring white powder that is formed from remains of decomposed sea algae or diatoms which contains crystallized silicon dioxide. The abrasive nature of the powder cuts through the skin of the bugs when they come in contact with it. However, it is ineffective when wet.
It is worse when you don’t know if the slugs are living in the crevices of your walls or if they visit you from outside every night. So, seal everything right from the cracks in your walls, the gaps under your doors and carpet your floors. Keep your house absolutely clean. Do not let water sit on floors or kitchen platforms. Did you know? Slugs can follow the trails that they left the previous night. In fact, their friends will follow it too. No wonder, once they start appearing, their population keeps increasing. Better wipe off the slimy trails with white vinegar, before they return. Slugs also hate horseradish, geranium plants, buttermilk, copper wire, hair, egg shells and iron-phosphate. Keep your garden clean and dig up the soil regularly to take out their eggs. Throw away the eggs too because they can survive for many months without hatching.