Extensive damage to gardeners is caused by slugs. Especially crops in rainy years suffer, at the same time slugs are omnivorous, more than 150 plant species suffer from them. At mass invasion these wreckers can destroy everything that grows in kitchen garden.
From where do they undertake?
Slugs are very prolific, only for one season the female is capable to lay more than 400 eggs which by the beginning of the next summer leave young wreckers. Slugs in stage of eggs winter, their mass exit is necessary for the end of May beginning of June. Slugs resemble snail superficially, but without sink. These are legless spineless beings with four tentacles on the head, all their body is covered with slime, their name has gone from here. They move on surface, using reduction of muscles, reserving wet trace. In dry weather the slugs hide under stones, grass, mulchy, leaving the shelters only at night.
How to struggle with slugs
Enough effective ways of fight against this wrecker are not present. The correct agrotechnology and due care for the garden site gives the greatest effect. Slugs prefer young sprouts of plants therefore it is necessary to plant plants as soon as possible that they have got stronger before mass appearance of young slugs. It is impossible to thicken landings, it is necessary to level carefully the soil on beds, in due time to weed weeds and to move away them in compost heaps. It is also necessary to mow clean grass on boundaries and to drain crude sites.
One more way which allows to struggle with slugs – arrangement of traps and manual collecting. It is possible to refer its labor input to shortcomings of this way, but it is rather effective. It is necessary to bypass beds in the evening and to spread out at some distance from each other wet rags, boards, burdock leaves, grass bunches, pieces of cardboard. Next day it is necessary to examine traps, to collect and destroy wreckers. It is possible to sprinkle plants on perimeter with dry lime, ashes, tobacco, red pepper. These means work short time, after rain the procedure should be repeated.
Chemical means for fight against slugs
For this purpose metaldehyde is recognized as the most effective medicine, on its basis the set of the means intended for fight against slugs is issued. Processing is carried out in the spring, during mass exit of slugs, after approach of twilight. Granules of medicine are scattered in places of congestion of mollusks. Touching them, slugs burn the vital glands excreting slime and perish. Medicine keeps the efficiency for a long time (up to 14 days), without being dissolved in the rain. Subsequently it breaks up to harmless elements and does not make negative impact on harvest.