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Trivia Question: Although snails need moisture they can survive for long lengths of time in unfriendly hot and dry environments by going inside their shell and pulling down a thin white membrane like a shade.
That length of time is:
| A: 2 to 3 years | B: Up to 6 months | C: 4 years |
The answer is somewhere near the end of this article All winners are invited to a great escargot potluck feast at Evelyn’s house.
Now down to business.
Snails and slugs are both basically the same animal. Snails have houses and slugs don't. They both make their home under your plants, debris and even a short distance beneath the soil. They both travel best on their own slime and leave a shiny trail behind.
Both slugs and snails love moist dark places and feed on an almost endless variety of plant material, plant debris and decaying plant material. They can do lots of damage to your garden, but then you already know this or you wouldn't be reading this little paper.
Our most common snail is the brown garden snail. This is what you see in your garden. The other snail is the decollate snail. A small snail that feeds on other snails as well as feeding on small seedlings and plant debris. Decollate snails will do a good job, especially for citrus trees. Unfortunately they don't care for slugs. In the begonia field we have small green sea snails. They feast on the algae and decaying plant material. You'll see them on the leaves but they don't really eat the begonias. Just the good black algae that grows along side on the ground.
Work Hours for the Slug and Snail Union
Lots of night work, daytime eating is considered overtime. If you want to really see your snails out in force, do some handpicking and destroying, try watering your garden in the late afternoon. Go out with a good flashlight about 9 or 10 and you'll find them munching away like mad. Slugs, snails, earwigs and lots of other critters are out there at night.
#1. Sanitation Keep your garden clean of old pots, weeds, pieces of wood etc. In other words try to take away their daytime hiding places. Those dense beds of ivy, ice plant and other heavy ground covers make great snail cover. Put your vegetable garden as far away from snail havens as you can. If you can keep the soil surface a little dry you will limit their activity. Unfortunately the better you make your soil the friendlier it is for these invaders.
Plan a 'no snail' zone around the vegies. Put down a one or two inch barrier path of diatomaceous earth, ashes, crushed pumice. Snails don't like to crawl over irritating substances. Scratches their little bellies. Redo the barrier frequently in wet weather. Copper bands are very effective, costly but they keep the snails out. Unfortunately they don't kill them.
#2. Snail Patrol Get out there at night or on rainy days and enjoy being a killer. Hand picking snails will go a long way towards control. Put them in a bag, crush them right there, throw them against any hard surface. If you use a bag, be sure you crush your snails before you throw them in the garbage can. You can also bury them to add calcium and nitrogen to the soil.
Keep a good note of where the snail concentrations are. When you bait you will know where the babies are going to be. If you pick snails once a week consistently it will really help.
#3 Daytime traps. Make some snail boards with flat wood and one inch risers to keep it just off the ground. (Didn't work much for me!) The snails go under during the day and you can then kill them easily. Old upside down pots, citrus halves, pans of beer all work to attract the snails into one place. You then have either healthy or drunk snails
Chickens, ducks and geese eat snails and slugs and leave lots of poop. There are a few other natural predators, not enough to really help.
You could always become a gourmet and eat escargot. Ask for the Cooperative Extension offices bulletin #2222 Snails as food. To find the nearest office look in the front of your phone book white pages under Government, County, Farm and Home advisor.
#4 Chemical Snail Baits Until just this year all of the Snail baits available have been poisonous. A potential hazard to pets and children. Now we have a new product from Germany.A non-toxic organic iron phosphate called 'Sluggo'. It causes the snails to stop feeding and die in several days.This is a great new addition to the Metaldehyde and Mesurol types of baits that you have had available. Now you can control snails and slugs and not worry about your pets. In addition what is left from the Sluggo is good for the soil. Totally organic.
Metaldehyde is in the most commonly sold poisonous baits. This kills by causing the snails and slugs to start foaming at the mouth right away and they die from the loss of moisture. Doesn't work as well in rainy or wet areas because the snails can sometimes recover.
Mesurol works better in wet areas but it is not approved for vegetable gardens. Mesurol is sometimes mixed with carbaryl (Sevin) and will then also kill sowbugs.
To use the baits best put them out frequently and use only the amount you think will be eaten in a night or two. Often is better than more. There are new snails hatching from the ground every day. Get 'em while they're young! Scatter on the soil surfaces or make a bait trail around your garden if the snails are coming from your neighbor. Water well before you put out the bait, this draws out the snails and some moisture makes the bait more attractive. Remember that one application alone will not do much. You have to keep at it. Snails/slugs lay their eggs down in the ground in clusters of little clear pearly grains. Snails are most active in spring, summer and fall and rest during the winter. This means that you have lots of baby snails coming in spring. Don't just sit there and watch TV, get busy and attack ! Oh yes, the answer to the Trivia Question. It is C. Snails can survive without moisture for at least 4 (four) years. Isn't that depressing?
For best results use all of the above tactics. We do sell “Sluggo” here at Weidners. It is well worth the money compared to a trip to the VETS. Right now the cost of Sluggo is 16.50 for 2 ½ lbs. There will be other brands coming along eventually. Look for the ingredient Iron Phosphate.
We hope this info helps, don't be afraid to add suggestions or comments. Evelyn Weidner
