I've just looked them up on the International Starch: Snail Pest Control site which gives quite good information. They don't look any different from all the other slugs.
I was joking about there being a bounty on them, but payment rather than fines would be more of an encouragement for people to catch them.
Here is an example of half an hour's slug hunting:
Can you spot any Iberian ones?
Most of ours here are the great big orange beasties, but then I'm not quite in Iberia LOL
Editing cos I just came across this article http://www.thelocal.se/7887/20070713/
This message was edited Jul 15, 2007 4:35 PM
Don't the media always have to hype things up? Killer slugs - all slugs eat any others that have been damaged in some way. My hedgehogs just take a bite out of the middle of the large slugs and then lots of other slugs come to finish them off. Gruesome.
Don't they have hedgehogs and song thrushes in Sweden? The article says they don't have any natural predators, although I've got both and frogs and there are still hundreds of slugs in my garden, even with regular slug hunts and careful use of slug pellets in enclosed areas. Could it be the wet season that is causing the huge increase in slugs over there, they are certainly much worse this year than usual here. I suspect that the Iberian slug has been introduced to areas that don't usually have slugs, so what is normal here is unusual over there.
Philomel;
Read somewere that Sweden had it worse than here. Wow.
Pat;
They vary, but the brown one at the bottom could look like one.
Did not know that all slugs eat each other, but it does look nastry when you see them at it, that is for sure. I agree that they do have natural enemies, but apperently not enough to keep them down. There is a street not far from here, that is so full with them that you could go skiing on them. The bad thing is that they are coming closer and closer to were I live. I put about 10-15 each day, not many, but I guess I can keep them a bit down as my garden is small.
And yes the all the rain has made it worse, but have seen many fried ones today as the sun has been baking all day (at last).
Ooooh the skiing thing sounds b-a-d. That conjures up a horrible picture!
I have visions of the hundreds I take to the end of the road all heading home along the pavement and people sliding about on them.
LOL You'll just have to get out the bucket with salt water..........
It does not sound good does it, but skiing is lots og fun :o))
And then there is always something funny about people falling down LOL. Well as long as they don´t get hurt
Well as long as they don´t get hurt
A slymie cushion of cold slugs.
Yuk !! LOL
The blackbirds have eaten almost every cherry - or made large peck marks so I don't fancy eating them.
Been planting out seedlings, weeding the patios and generally trying to smarten the place up between downpours.
The slugs are still rampant - where do they all come from night after night?
Anyway I'm going to Tatton Park Show tomorrow, so may just buy a plant or two. I've not planted all the ones I got from the NEC Gardener's World yet, but who cares!
Hi, just checking in to say hello, last day of school in temporary buildings so very stressful and am very very tired.
Seemama, I live a mile from Sutton Village just outside Hull,I hope your brother was OK with the floods.
We are managing to harvest loads of tomatoes which we thought we had lost in the floods but the greenhouses were raised up a bit and were saved,ditto my pepper house and a couple of very high raised beds escaped the water so we have the odd carrot or two.
Will check back in a day or two when rested up a bit.
XX Jeannine
I'm glad you haven't lost everything Jeannine. We put such a lot of effort into our gardening it is heartbreaking when we lose a whole season's work. Whatever happens though there is usually something which manages to provide a crop. Perhaps we should be thinking about planting rice if the weather keeps on like this summer!
My tomatoes are slowly ripening. I've noticed that the ones I got from the Round Robin from America are really struggling and obviously need warmth and sunshine to produce a decent crop. I'm trying to keep the greenhouse well ventilated, but quite a few leaves and blossoms are getting moulds and I'm trying to remove them as soon as they form to stop them spreading.
The aubergines have been flowering well for ages, but I haven't seen one fruit forming yet.
We went to Tatton Park flower show yesterday and had a lovely day in warm sunshine all day. It was such a pleasure to be almost too hot and see the lovely fluffy white clouds in a blue sky. We had taken boots and raincoats expecting the worst, but luckily could manage with sandals and t-shirts (and jeans). I bought four new Crocosmia - can't remember what they were off hand, a white and wine coloured pentstemon, a beautifully scented geranium with a larger than usual flower, an Achillea in a soft pinky mauve and a Kniffofia which is mainly cream with a caramel tip. I'll look what the varieties are if anyone is interested. They are still parked waiting to be planted - when I find a suitable space. I've done my usual trick of getting what appeals to me rather than thinking where I'm going to put it first.
I can't believe how lucky we were to have a dry day as it is horrible again today.
Jeannine Anne, Not sure where that part is, he is near the centre of Hull, haven't heard from him about any flooding so I suppose he's OK, one of my children would have heard. We have been trying to watch the cricket and I see the weather is pretty awful this year, We get afternoon storms but it stays hot. It's been upper 90's for some time. I haven't tried to grow Tomatoes here but I have my Citrus trees, 1 lemon, 1 grapefruit, 1 tangerine and 1 satsuma the seedless orange hasn't produced anything for 2 years so if nothing happens this year it's out. I am also growing Avocado. We have all the tropical palms and flowers.
