Garden snails and slugs are garden pests that can damage your garden crop. Slugs and snails can chew up leaves from fruit trees to leafy vegetables or feast on your ripped fruits. What’s worst is both garden snails and slugs are potential hosts of the rat lungworm, a parasitic worm of rats. The adult form of the parasite is found only in rodents. Infected rats pass larvae of the parasite in their feces. Snails and slugs get infected by ingesting the larvae. Some children, in particular, have gotten infected by swallowing snails/slugs. Adults can get infected by accident, by eating raw produce such as lettuce that contains a small snail or slug or part of one.

Tips to Prevent and Control Snails and Slugs

• Wash or replace the soil and pots of new plants you buy before putting them in the garden to avoid small snail or slug eggs to spread. This is the most essential slug prevention tip.
• Tidy up the Garden: Clean around the garden edgings, hedges and flower beds so that the snails cannot seek shelter there. Remove fallen fruit and other appealing organic material they love. Poorly managed leaves, grass or compost can give them food, water, and shelter. Also, this provides a great environment for laying eggs.
• Water in the Morning: Slugs and snails are nocturnal. They love moisture and when you water in the evening, it creates favorable conditions for them to thrive.
• Hunt them at the Evening and early Morning: Snails and Slugs are active in the night or when slightly dark. Its labor intensive, but effective if performed regularly for several weeks.
• Make a Beer Trap: Dig a hole that forms the trap and set down a bowl of beer to lure the slugs. Empty the trap daily.
• Apply copper tape around containers. Snails and slugs cannot cross this barrier.

 

If you are still problems in your garden after, you may need to contact a local pest control company. Pest management professions. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

AANTEX Pest Control offers a variety of free inspections and serves the entire Bay Area.

Call us at 925-240-5100 to schedule your pest control consult today.