Pest Control for Slugs and Snails

Within every beautiful garden lies a pest, and more often than not they come in forms of creepy crawlies known as slugs. These critters do marginally more damage than other traditional insects, though enacting pest control on them isn't as hard as you'd think it would be. While commercial slug killers are commonly available and are pretty effective at what it does, it has the unfortunate side effect of being toxic to other organisms as well. As such, it would be best to switch to other methods to keep slugs out of your garden.

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If you're looking into keeping your local slug population away from the stunning view of the vast grass fields in your luxury home in Tagaytay, consider the following alternative ways you can employ in order to do so.

Salt

Unsurprisingly, the old cartoons were right - sprinkling salt onto slugs really do irritate them! So much so that by applying enough they may even get killed from it, but only if you're able to apply the salt on them directly. You can do this by going out into your garden at night when the slugs are most active and look for them one by one, then pour salt on them until they perish. It's not a very efficient way of controlling your slug population, but it can get the job done in a pinch.

Copper

Slugs are naturally "allergic" to copper. This is due to two reasons - for one, copper (and its alloys) is known to be naturally toxic to some organisms as it possesses antimicrobial properties - this affects all kinds of animals including slugs. On the other hand, it's also said that once slugs make contact with the aforementioned metal, it "shocks" them to a minor degree, thus keeping them from making contact with it as much as possible. However, it's important to note that it's not too effective a repellent as it tends to simply deter slugs as opposed to completely keeping it away, so consider other methods if you want something a little more aggressive.

Diatomaceous earth

More commonly known as insect dust, this "earth" is made up of a powdery, sharp material that hurts any who cross it - slugs especially. It works best in dry conditions so make sure to keep it away from water, but also ensure that you get the agricultural grade variety as opposed to the pool grade one which is much less abrasive. Also, remember to wear protective gear when applying it onto your garden as it may hurt humans as well by irritating the eyes or the lungs.

Garlic-based repellents

A study based on the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne found that garlic was effective in killing slugs. It's a good choice as it's organic, so look for garlic based insecticide when slugs are the target.

Gardeners all around the world know the pain of losing their plants to opportunistic pests such as slugs, so arm your precious garden with the aforementioned natural repellents and keep slugs from terrorizing you any further.

Author Biography:

Kimberly Marie Gayeta (Kimmy) is a Communications Degree holder, passionate writer, currently working as a local Public Relations Officer and an online Marketing Representative.

Thoroughly fascinated about travelling, leisure, and living the good life!

Follow her on twitter: @kimmygayeta