Out of all the pests you’d get in your home, or outdoors in your garden, slugs, aren’t the worst affiliated pest.
Sure, slugs can be annoying! It can also not be very fun if you have slugs relocating to inside your home, so your next move should be to get rid of slugs in your home so they do not come back.
If the issue is big enough of a problem, you may need to call a professional exterminator to achieve that. But, in the meantime, you can always learn a little more about slugs, and that would probably help them go away faster.
If you are asking, where do slugs come from? The reason is slugs love moist plant debris, which has low weeds, mulch, fallen logs, and underneath rocks.
These are some of the places they like to hide, primarily because they love the moisture those places provide.
If there is a food source, where we know the moisture and debris are, they would be attracted to stay there.
Slugs are a form of snail that, somewhere throughout the process, have lost their shell. Slugs and snails like to eat leaves, fruits, and flowers, or basically anything near the ground!
What Is The Difference Between a Slug and Snails?
The biggest difference between slugs and snails is that slugs don’t have a shell to withdraw into! Both slugs and snails are soft-bodied, they do have no shell left.
There are many species of slugs, but slugs get to about 25mm to 100mm (1 to 4″) in length as adults.
Good news is that slugs don’t hurt people, but they do hurt plants.
In fact, slugs probably destroy most plants where they are in flower beds and gardens.
Slugs can eat large holes in your leaves, and they have a least three favourite foods, strawberries, lettuce, and violets.
You might not see the slugs but, you certainly see their slimy trails, which can last for several days.
Did you notice: You might also notice that the slugs are around from the damage they have left to your leaves and flowers.
Less-knows Facts about Slugs
Slugs tend to spend the daytime in very wet hiding spots like under rocks, logs, or even underground.
If you have a low deck, or a planter or some other place, you might find them in there, as well.
That’s what they do during the day, and then they come out to eat at night, leaving a slimy trail behind.
Slugs prefer the leaves of plants, but they will also eat other vegetation.
In the spring and summer, slugs will lay their eggs, placing them somewhere that is wet and hidden from the world.
Only a few days later, those eggs will hatch and within a few months those immature creatures will become adults.
Did you know: Slugs and snails can live for several years?
How to Prevent Slugs?
Slugs are everywhere, but because they only come out to eat and spend the rest of the time hiding in damp conditions, all you have to do is eliminate the damp conditions.
Here are some things you can do to get slugs to leave you alone:
- If you’re using pots and containers for your flower pots, prop them up on something like stands or plant racks.
- If you have firewood, make sure that it is up off of the ground.
- If you have piles of firewood, make sure that it is not directly up against the house.
- If you have any loose stones or lumber, you should remove them from the yard.
- Keep the door to your crawl space properly secured. If you have vents, leave them open so that they are somewhat less damp.
- Make sure that all of your exterior doors to your home close properly.
- If you don’t have door sweeps or weather stripping, make sure to replace them.
- If you have a damp basement, use a dehumidifier.
Just keep in mind that slugs love damp and moist places, so the fewer damp and moist places you provide them with, the less they’ll have to make a home anywhere in your garden or even in your home.
Do Slugs Cause Damage?
Slugs can cause some damage to fruits, flowers, and plants as they “eat” away and making holes.
For the most part, the slug damage is cosmetic since the plants do not appear harmed. People still don’t like the pests and would prefer to control them out of their areas.
This article is important to help you get rid of these pests.
In What Way Can You Find Slugs?
Slugs at Night
Slugs are only active in the night, so you can always wait until after it gets dark to check your property for potential entry points.
Slugs are nocturnal, so they will usually be found in shady and damp locations.
Slugs in Soil
Slugs could come from any damp place. If you have more than one damp place in your yard, you may need to start detective work figuring out exactly where slugs are hiding.
Slugs will also lay their eggs in the soil which is damp or compost.
What Should You Do to Get Rid of Slugs?
Besides everything above, you can also have an exterminator come to you for slug control.
Getting rid of slugs isn’t going to be an overnight process.
It’s possible the exterminator has to come back more than once to get rid of your slugs.
Hire Professionals: But it’ll be worth it in the end because they have the tools and equipment to guarantee your slug- free home.
Slugs In Summary
If you see nice round holes in your vegetable plants or leaves especially if you see a silvery slimy trail close by; you more than likely have slugs.
Once the sun goes down, you’d be able to figure out where the damp, moist area they may be coming from.
Slugs love natural dark areas with some soil and water. These are the areas where you will locate slugs.