Slugs, although not insects, are common lawn and garden pests which require control measure. The slug is a close relative of the land snail but doesn't have a shell. Both slugs and snails secrete a slime trail as they move across a surface. These pests feed on plants at night and hide in moist places such as under rocks, boards and garden debris during daylight hours. On leafy vegetables their damage can be recognized by large ragged holes in the foliage. If you spot this type of damage in your garden, a search under surrounding rocks and litter will often reveal hiding slugs.

For control of slugs in lawns and flower gardens, commercial baits can be used. Be sure that the bait you use in your vegetable garden is safe to be used around plants grown for food. One method of physical control is to lay boards out between the rows in the garden and remove the slugs that crawl underneath during the day.

Another effective control for slugs in your vegetable garden is the placing of beer in foil pie pans which are dug into the ground so their rims are even with the soil level. As this beer stales it provides an odor which is attractive to slugs.

This page was last updated April 2003

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