What is this?

Please advise me and tell me what are these ...... I have too much in my garden these day and I want to get rid of these . Please help me and tell me how to kill these .
Kaleem

Kaleem, it looks like a slug, although I have never seen a blue one before. It must have some natural predators, such as birds or small mammals. Is it possible for you to encourage other wildlife to come into your garden to eat the slugs?

There are more than 200 Parrots visits daily and lots of other sparrows but none of them touch slugs ever. Is there any special pest killer?
I have not listen Slug before. Thanks for the name.
Kaleem

Kaleem, there are slug poisons available here, such as one called slugo but I don not like using them since they are dangerous for pets and other mammals. I usually just put them in a can and salt them. The salt kills them. Then I throw the can in the garbage. It takes a lot of effort but ig you do this regularly you can get them under control.

I can't tell how large that slug is but the big ones seem to be easier to erradicate than some on the tiny ones we get. They all come out at night or when it is cool and damp. They hide in the heat under wood or pots or in the earth and can eat a row of seedlings overnight or leave big holes in the leaves of larger plants.

Nice idea ...... salt can kill them, I f I pour little salt around my containers and plants beds, will it work?
Biggest one is 4 inch long and babies are too much in the cool parts of the garden , also under the leaves. I bought a succullent from other city and they eat all the plant........ after that I am too much hot and want to remove all.
Kaleem

Here is the plant that is vanished over night

Four inches long! What a monster! Kaleem, although salt will kill the slugs, it will also kill your plants, so I would not advise using salt in the garden. Slugs do not like to crawl over sharp surfaces, so you might try surrounding your containers and plant beds with a barrier of something like sharp-edged grit or crushed egg-shells. I believe you can also trap slugs by filling a can with beer and sinking the can to the rim in the ground, so that the slugs fall into the beer, become drunk, and drown. I have not tried the beer trap, but I have heard of other gardeners using it successfully.

A few ducks would take care of the slugs, and turn them into free fertilizer. Another way to trap them is to leave things near where you see them that they will hide under, then check those objects every morning and dispose of the slugs in a can with a lid. Sorry that you lost some plants.

Scoop out a grapefruit or orange half and turn it cut side down where you see them...
They will crawl under it and you can salt them in there and then either shake or let them drop off into the trash...Beer in a large shallow terra cotta plant saucer will trap them too...
Easier to collect them, and then you don't waste the beer like you do burying the can..

You people are so nice....... thanks God I didnot sprinkled salt otherwise my remaining plants may also ......................
This mean I am not the only one who is affected and its not easy to finish them because collecting one by one is tooo difficult ..... I want to finish them in an instant.......
Kaleem

I am afraid it is not possible to finish them in an instant. If it were possible we gardeners would all be doing a dance of joy! But if you stay vigillant and destroy them as fast as you can you will find that each season you will have fewer to deal with.

When I first started gardening here they were so bad that I could fill a big can with them every night. I would go out with a light and pull them up by hand and salt them in the can. The second year I would only find about half a can full each night and by the third season I could only find a few each night, This year I am only finding about a dozen in a week. If I wasn't afraid the dog would get it I would use the poison!

Good luck!

Kaleem/gumla ..

Sure hate to read of the damage to your plants ..

At this juncture, with your seemingly having a slug infestation accompanied with excessive damage already - it will probably be necessary for you to continue to physically check and remove each slug and any eggs you may find.

However, in taking the necessary precautions now, by beginning an avid treatment - will significantly reduce the chances of this and similar incidents happening again.

Incidentally, the area of the globe of which you reside .. holds a virtual 'goldmine': the most excellent resource for controlling many insects (and snails and slugs) - - the Neem tree! Along with a host of other miraculous uses!!

The oil extract of the Neem is pet and eco-friendly .. but, it may can also affect beneficial bugs that you may have .. * depending upon its use; full strength, as opposed to it being dilluted and/or combined with other and mixed, and the ratios/strengths, for the particular/designated use, etc.

This site > http://www.ottawaorchidsociety.com/orchid/neem_oil.htm .. provides quite a testimony to its many various benefits, along with plenty of other information and detailed explanations, related to the use of Neem oil. An excerpt:

Since a slugs and snails are mollusks and not insects I do not know if neem would affect them or not. It does seem to work wonders on aphids though.

I just read that there is a brand named Sluggo that is safe for pets that I may try if my problem gets worse again.

Zany ..

OMG.... these are nice tips and I hope soon these slugs will finished............ Ahe
It is too difficult to collect one by one run after their nest, last week I found there nest and there was more than 50 eggs, this mean there will be thousands of babies in comming weeks but these new tips will work for me and against slugs....
Kaleem

I think that I read somewhere here on DG that pouring some ammonia around the plants would kill the slug eggs. I wish I could remember the thread. Has anyone else heard of this?

I wonder if they used straight amonia or a diluted strength. I would be afraid it might burn the plants the way a dog leaves brown spots in a lawn.

found the Ammonia thread from last year
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/650191/

Thanks for the link. I am going to give it a try.

If I sprayed Amonia mixture liquid under tha plants and with linning also, these may die when come out? If hidden somewhere esle? Or I should spray on them?
Kaleem

Kaleem, what I read said to spray the plants after dark when the slugs come out and the ground around them to kill the eggs and that you need to keep spraying a lot. It also seems like some of the people on that thread lost some plants due to the amonia mixture burning the plants but others said they had no problem with plants dying. So I don't know how well this will work.

With loud voice........
He he he he
My face was covered with mask, a chemical weapon ( spray gun bottle) was in my handS and I was a true serial killer......he he he
Yes I did 10:01 Amonia and water...... and it works.......... I did it just two hours ago and the slugs which are out are died.......
Thank you so much for this my DG friend.
Kaleem

LOL

Fresh off the news wire : Kaleem opens chemical warfare against slugs in Pakistan. Gardeners around the world are backing him in this effort to commit genocide against this serious threat to his gardening efforts.

Normally peaceful and non violent this gardener has been forced to resort to a full scale attack to ward off this fiercely ferocious and insidious invader. Stay tuned for further reports on the Slug war.....

edited for typos

This message was edited Jul 12, 2007 10:07 AM

LOL Hooray for Kaleem! Mighty warrior of the blue slug war. Keep up the good work. I am so glad that someone else had heard of the ammonia and what the mix ration was. Thanks!

Bravo for you, gumlla.

Thank you.. marie_ and tcs1366 .. so very much !!

- Magpye

Hi guy's, we also have a huge variety of slugs and snails here in UK, you have to be carefull what you use on them as some things kill the slugs/snails ok, but then the birds and other good guy's that live off these creatures come into your garden and eat the dead or dying slugs/snails and then these also die, but you want the birs etc, to keep visiting your garden as they eat the slugs, also eat other pests like green fly and other plant eating insects, so always read the instructions first if you want to keep encouraging all the good guy's into your garden.
I go out at night and take a flash light, gloved hands and pick up all the slugs and snails, drop them in a bucket of boiling water, next morning they get tipped into the drain or compost bin, always try to gather any fallen leaves or bits of debree as the slugs use that as a hiding place during the day, also, any slug eggs that I find, and these are in little clumps, like white jelly balls, I lift these up and put them in a dish or tray, and the birds feed on them, they love them, sluge dont have a nest, they just hide wherever they find a nice dark cool place to shelter from the sun/dry air, some lay eggs under the soil and the babies live under ground eating away at the plants till larger, some lay eggs on top of the soil usually under leaves, stones or any other debree laying around, hope this helps. Weenel.

I was thinking I am the only one who is affected by Sulgs but when I visited other city then I found these there also. I was on a plant shop and found this. How is this for killing slugs?
Kaleem

'''''''''''''''

:::::::::

I am not familiar with that brand but I did find this site that says it is safe and organic gardening friendly. http://www.vitax.co.uk/productshome.asp?product=HPC028

It sounds like it would be a good choice.

Oh, please .. kaleem !!
Don't use the bag of stuff (in two of your photos)!
The product, labeled 'Vitax Slug Killer' should not be used IF you have pets, small children, other family with small children that visit you, or any neighbors with small children and/or pets that have access to your yarden!!

* * Look closely * *
It has the active ingredient listed right there on the label on the front of the bag: 3% metaldehyde!! It is NOT safe, nor organic!!

Also ..
The product on the link that Zany posted above .. appears to be composed of different ingredients altogether, from that of which you've posted photos, kaleem.

Altho' {that} web site states .. *

Half an hour's slug hunting and look what I found. I don't kill them but take them for a walk to the end of the road and tip them into woodland so the birds, hedghogs etc. can have a good feed. I do sometimes wonder if they have a homing instinct though as I seem to catch as many the next time I have a search. I must admit that I do use slug pellets with metaldehyde around seedlings, but only in covered beds. I buy the ones that have an aditive to deter birds and animals from eating them, but I keep them covered anyway as the dead slug could still get eaten by something. I've tried ones with Iron phosphate and the slugs don't touch them.

Another organic solution is to put piles of bran among your plants and the slugs gorge themselves on that and leave your plants alone, or you can just collect them up while they are eating and dispose of them.

Patbarr, when I lived out in the country I was followed everywhere by a couple of ducks. I would throw all the slugs and snails to them so they knew following me meant a free meal. I sure do miss those feathered disposal units.

Is this your creature: http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/carpathian-blue-slug:bielzia-coerulans-photo-669.html.

An old method for discouraging slugs is to put crushed egg shells around your plants. Apparently they don't like to scratch their tender tummies. This year I am experimenting with using pine straw as mulch around my plants as a slug deterrent. I have an unlimited supply of pine needles from all of the trees on my property. So far, it seems to be working quite well. I guess the pine needles are too rough as well. However, we are having an unusually dry summer and the slugs just might be staying moist somewhere else.

Magpye
Thank you so much for the informations, I didnot buy the packets, I decied first I will have advice from my DG friends and then I will buy and my this decision was good.
Patbarr
You have differnt colors , I have only dark blue in my garden and that is a great problem for me.
Is there any benefits of these slugs? Or these are only plant eater?
Kaleem

There is one thing that works and is very safe but I don't know if you can get it in Pakistan.

It's diatomaceous earth. It is the ground fossilized remains of sea creatures. It is used in pets and humans as a dewormer so it is safe to use in the garden and safe to digest and is put in grains to keep bugs out. It basically sucks out all the water in the insects.

It is good for ants, slugs, snails but it also kills earthworms, so it's up to you whether you decide to use it. The only precaution is don't breath in the dust as it can cause lung problems. It comes in a powder, which you sprinkle a small amount on the soil, and has to be reapplied after it rains.

You would want FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth. There are two kinds, one is for swimming pools and won't work and is not food safe. The other is food safe.

I really don't know where you would get it in Pakistan, perhaps you could ask a veteranarian or places where they store grains. I know they have it in India (at Seema Minerals) so perhaps you can find it in Pakistan, and I wouldn't know how much it costs.

http://www.indiamart.com/seemaminerals/
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/faqs/ive.html

In Pakistan diatomaceous earth is not available but I used so many pest killer and result............... very poor but after the using of Amonia the result is 101%......... few other insects also die. ( works within seconds)
Here are few used bottles.
Kaleem

Wonderful, Kaleem ..
Am very happy for you, that you're managing to put a dent in (their) population that so terribly affects/destroys your beautiful plants!

(A wee lil note, for Mobi) ..
The diatomaceous earth is not derived from sea 'creatures' - it's (algae-like) plants.

- Magpye

Sorry, you are correct Magpye.

Mobi .. please know, that I sure haven't meant for the comment to possibly 'look' the way it may have, to you ..

((huggs))

- Magpye