The rainy spring and the beginning of summer are not helping sunbathing aficionados. However, nature is having a field day. The combination of water and warmth is a godsend for many of the plants and small creatures that populate our gardens. Among the latter, the slug won't deny it: it loves all this moisture!
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We've all seen them on rainy days. They arrive by the dozen on the terrace or lawn in search of something to nibble on. However, it seems that these gastropods have set their sights on something other than salad. They have reportedly been spotted prowling around several houses in Belgium.
WHY DO SLUGS LIKE ELECTRIC CARS?
What do all these houses have in common? Their electric charging points. Slugs would leave their little patch of greenery to crawl into the tight sheaths of these devices. The reason given by specialists is that the smell of electrical cables irresistibly attracts these little creatures.
The problem is that slug slime and electricity don't mix. As a result, several of these bollards have fallen victim to short circuits. However, rest assured that if your terminals are properly made, and in particular if the inlets are well sealed, there is little chance that slugs will cause you problems.
WHAT ARE THE NON-LETHAL SOLUTIONS FOR GETTING RID OF THESE GASTROPODS?
Even so, as the saying goes: prevention is better than cure. So to avoid this kind of mishap, the best solution is still to scare the slugs away. Since slugs are not dangerous to humans, there's no reason to harm them. You should therefore opt for non-lethal solutions, such as catching them.
Slugs generally hide in dark corners out of sight during the day. A first solution is to offer them artificial hiding places in which you place a few plants to attract them. Once they've gathered, all you have to do is carefully pick them up and take them away from your home.
WHAT CAN YOU PUT IN PLACE TO FORM AN EFFECTIVE NATURAL BARRIER AGAINST SLUGS?
The second method is to repel them by creating a natural barrier. Slugs aren't really keen on dry materials such as crushed eggshells, ashes, cocoa pods or mulch made from hemp or pine bark. Putting these in their path is guaranteed to make them turn back.
For vegetable garden owners, it's also worth remembering that some slug species are great allies for your soil, so it would be a shame to eliminate them. This is particularly true of the tiger slug, which simply eats the dead plants in your compost, and its crawling counterparts.