Banana Slugs

When I'm out at night I see a lot of these in my garden. I haven't noticed too much damage. Should I be removing them from my yard? I read somewhere that they should be returned to the forest where they came from, but our forests here in Spokane are much drier than our well-watered yards. I don't think they would survive.

My question is - are they native like the striped slugs? And are you noticing damage to your plants? I have not seen any Banana slugs on this side of the mountains yet. My understanding is that the striped guys are native & tend to hang out in piles of debris, as opposed to feeding on the plants. I get rid of the beige, brown & rust coloured ones - they are usually the plant-eating culprits.

I've seen a couple of the yellowish one here. Big! I move them out to the woodsy area in back. They give me the creeps (boys put one in my sleeping bag at a Santa Cruz summer camp one year). I assumed they were native here too.

We have lots of banana slugs: mostly in the woods/brush an only rarely do I relocate the stray from a desired planting. I think they're native Katye: and they seem to come in solid, striped or slightly black spotted forms of greenish yellow.

The reddish brown, brown with black spots and any youth without colors yet all get squished here ASAP. The "bad slug" population is still down significantly from years past. Using Sluggo helps along with hand-picking.

Here's info on them; unfortunately with a bright green background...
http://www.naturepark.com/bslug.htm

LOL- "youth without colours"...
Now that's a rarity among the 2 legged variety.
I remember the Banana Slugs from hiking the Santa Cruz mountains - large, sometimes very large.
Pooch - I just compost the bad guys. Glad they don't grow again after they are halved.

I call them 'Banana Slugs' but they are actually striped yellow and black/brown. I would prefer not to kill them if they are not harming my garden. I haven't found any significant damage that I can attribute to them. I'm just concerned that they are so large that one day I will wake up and some prized plant will be rittled with holes. To-date they don't seem to disturb plants too much. Has any one had any experience to the contrary?

I believe they only eat decayed vegetation. So in a way they're useful, but I have a horror of stepping on one accidentally. I move them away from the beds whenever I find them

And I NEVER go barefoot outside!

I don't know what they eat, but I understand they don't munch on our hallowed plants, and frankly I have never seen one on an ornamental plant. I understand that the little gray slug which is a European import is the culprit.

I haven't seen much action from them lately, but when I first moved into my house, I used Mickey's Malt Lager to attract them in for a drink. The cups were gross in the morning.

Wow, I thought all slugs ate our plants, nice to know that some don't. I have mostly seen the snails this year and I just squish their house that they carry around. They sure can munch the plants very quickly!
Thanks for the info about the banana slugs!
Carla

No- the natives are respectful, preferring to hang out in decaying matter. The imported foreigners love to gorge themselves - quite rude.
BS's are native, but are not seen as often as the others.
Perhaps they've learned to hang back & let the other types drink the beer.
Speaking of slugs-in-beer-filled-vessels: be careful how/where you dump them. The splashback is truly grotesque.

Katye, speaking from experience? lol

Another slug attractant I DON'T recommend are the plastic jars that attract flies if hung or sat on a surface. I don't recommend that either.... gross. I couldn't believe the size of the suckers that managed to crawl inside.

Experience & then some: I had this great idea some 20 years ago, to put the beer into a 5 gallon bucket & then go slug hunting. I wanted to help them have a final drink. I filled the bucket & went out the next day to empty it. It had became an almost solid mass & when I attempted to "heave" it (it was heavier than I thought) well - you can imagine what happened: it did not splash nicely or neatly. 'Nuff said...
That was the same year I figured out that a shovel handle affords you better distance, as opposed to a hand trowel, when chopping the bad imported slugs. Sometimes, it can backfire (literally).
Oh - & keep your mouth closed...

Yuuuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!

Katye that is so gross!!! Yuck!! I much prefer my little spray bottle of ammonia water. Oh, and the clippers. They do a fine job, too. But leave all banana slugs alone. They are nice and make good pets.

Pixy, I'll save mine for you.

I still think they eat my plants..... I see them on them, climbing, sleeping.... okay maybe never eating, but they must! I guess I'll try to be more understanding of them..... but gosh they can be so long and slimy.

Sanna

I saw a banana slug wrapped around a zuchinni the other night. Thats what prompted me to start this thread. I took a closer look the next morning and couldn't find any damage to any part of the plant or fruit. It did leave a slime trail however.

Just to be sure everyone is on the same page, here is a photo of the northwest banana slug.
http://kevingong.com/Hiking/Images/199905ButanoRidge/B05BananaSlug001.jpg

Sannajane, I'm with you - they are so long and slimy . . . ugh! However, I too will try to be more accepting of the gawdawful creatures!

Pixy, thanks for the photo - it does help to know exactly who your friends are!

I have not seen the BS type very often on my property - but I have at other locations.
Lots & lots of striped ones, though & they are usually in the piles of pulled weeds or plant debris. Rarely on the plants themselves.

Banana slugs (Ariolimax columbianus) are not limited to yellow. There are an array of color variations including spots and stripes.

http://www.walnet.org/stanley_woods/slugz/bananaslug.html
http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall00Projects/bananaslug.html
http://www.birdsamore.com/critters/slugs.htm
http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/slugsandsnailsofBC.html
http://anthony.darrouzet-nardi.net/photos/northerncalifornia13.html
http://www.msu.edu/~atkinso9/bannana%20slug%20pic1.jpg

True enough. I always look for that gold undertone, though. I've never seen one on my property. All I have is the trash slugs. Yuck.

I finally got some pictures of the slugs that we have around here. These two are actually quite small...I've seem them several inches longer and much thicker. They have a very interesting markings. I'm still wondering if these are truly banana slugs. Any ideas?

.

No! Those are the dreaded "tiger" variety. (Don't ask me how/why we call them that. Some other NW gardener gave them that name.) Those are destroyers of gardens and should be dispatched.

One of my fav slug photos - liked it so much I made note cards of it - really! Slug was climbing over the edge of a wooden picnic table

That's a beauty; captures the slime sheen so well! I wonder on what occasion do you send 'slug cards?' "Thinking of you?" LOL "Happy Gardening?" "Hope you're feeling up to full speed very soon?"

LOL Poochela.......How about... Slow down and smell the flowers? or Sliding through lifes ups and downs....You are my shining...slug....ROTFL....

Thanks Poochella I can't stop thinking about receiving a slug note...what a way to start my morning...Carla

Maybe that is where I failed to make the grade on the sales of these....I forgot to include some deep thought! LOL - Thanks for the inspiration! I may have to go back into the notecard biz!



This message was edited Aug 28, 2007 10:01 AM

I love the unusual...I would have bought them...especially if it had a catchy note!!! LOL...great picture!

Good ones Carla. Wannadanc, I'm sorry to say that I'd buy them too LOL. They would be a great find for NW inhabitants, especially gardeners. The floral shop I go to has all kinds of little local cards, photos of flowers mostly, macros etc. I think there'd be a place for them.

My husband and I went walking in the tall grass this spring....must have been when all the slugs were hatching. When we looked down at our shoes it looked like our shoes and socks were COVERED in leeches...but they were baby slugs. It was such a horrible feeling!

I hate slugs as passionately as anyone, but I would buy those silly cards in a heartbeat! So will they be a creation of both of you? Get busy on those, please - I need them!

LOL Byndeweedbeth: note to self "indoor/outdoor salt shaker" as a birthday gift idea this year. Those little ones ride in on our pets' fur all the time. And still we let them in the house!

My knees take a beating, bent at angles all day long, as do many gardening knees . So I was giving the knees a rest by lying down watering (LOL it can be done,) and the cat came to visit, so I patted the grass nearby to entice the beast over. The pat hit something big, slightly yielding and moist. The first mental alarm sounded 'dog poop,' but no, even worse: a big orange slug slunk down in a tuft of grass. EWWWWWWWW. They are so sneaky and so slimey. Orange ones are bad, real bad.

After growing up here, I can't believe I actually got coerced into trying escargot once. I did it, I ate them, but all I could think of (Besides "ok, less chewy than barbequed geoduck") was "Slug. Arrgh, I'm eating a slug..I don't care if they call it a snail, it's a slug with a roof. I can't believe I'm eating a slug (Slug!!).. NO, the garlic butter doesn't really help.." ;)


Watering lying down. Yeah, I believe it could be done. Water on foliage is often a bad idea, so why not?? :)

I've been known to pet a cat while falling asleep. Every once in awhile, I'll hit a slug mat in one of the long-haired girls. The poor little slug gets caught and winds itself deeper and deeper in . . . so up I get, have to get the scissors out. The cat's getting angry. And then I have to rinse the little guy off, take him outside and fling him into the neighbor's forest . . .

Kathy

eww, slug mat!

Katie59 - you are much more benevolent than I would be by gifting your neighbor. I would be much more inclined to slide the hairy mess right down the throat of the porcelain goddess.

Like others here, I abhor unexpected contact w/ a slug. I truly would rather step in dog poo whilst barefoot than a slug. Is it no wonder than barefoot was given up decades ago?

I once observed a garter snake scarfing down a slug. If I can relocate the bit of prose that the siting generated, I will come back and add it here.

Edit to add:

Ode to Thamnophis

the day was hot
the sweat did pour
i pulled at weeds
i do abhor

i sought some shade
my skin to cool
and there you were
you were no fool

but i had entered
your domain
your meal engulfed
you made your claim

i watched your eyes
your checkered back
i marveled at
the fear you lack

you watched me
you didn't dash
you worked it down
that slippery stash

but once you finished
your delight
you slipped completely
outta sight

there's one less slug
and one fat snake
a Kodak moment
this did make!!!

Ah .......yes........there it is, and it seems as if it happened only yesterday!

This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 6:21 AM

Bravo, wannadanc! And bravo for the slug-eating snake.

Kathy you're much nicer to the sluglets trapped in a fur coat than I would be. What a kind heart you have to rinse them off. I would rinse them into the septic tank.