ANSWERS: 4
  • Some people place cups in the ground with the lips level with the top of the soil. They then pour beer or a water/yeast mixture. Apparently, the snails are attracted to the liquid but then fall in and cannot get out.
  • Everyone has their preferred snail-removal system. These are some of the more popular: Barriers - a mulch of sawdust or ash will stop snails temporarily- they don't like how it sticks to them when they try to cross it. More things to try are coarse sand, coffee grounds, copper sheeting (eg. wrap around pots), powdered chillies, and sliced garlic. Beer or yeasty water in a bowl - placed flush with the soil so they can get in, snails are attracted to the smell and drown. Every couple of days, dump the snaily liquid into your compost. Plant your delicate and tasty plants away from long grass and bushes where they like to hide, and keep grass trimmed. (Not a real barrier as they can cover a lot of ground, but it can slow the attack.) Stomping on them - go out with a torch as night, or out into the rain (when they are most mobile), and take a more direct approach. You'll be guaranteed to have less snails afterwards, for a moment at least. Baiting - put down something that snails love, and collect the gathering snails later. They like things like: citrus fruit slices, damp 'dry' dogfood and peanut butter. Bucket of salt water - my step-father likes to go about with a bucket to drop the snails into (the squeamish could use old tongs to lift them). Poultry - if you have the space, hens and ducks love to eat snails. Commercial snail pellets can be used safely if your yard isn't accessible to dogs and you are *very* careful - they are incredibly toxic, and some have no antidote. Many birds and animals have died horribly as a result of eating snail pellets (cats aren't usually interested, but there's still a risk). Scatter them very sparsely (mounding them encourages animals to eat them), hide them down in mulch, put a couple into hollows in your plants where snails hide, put them under a broken plant pot.
  • Safer's Snail Bait. Biodegradable. Earth friendly. Effective. Long-lasting. Does not harm animals. A sure winner.
  • I find that having a wildlife pond with plenty of frogs around, I no longer have a snail problem. Even my hostas look fantastic! Also, by gardening organic, I attract a lot of bird, and they too eat their fill of the offensive snails.

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