AusBonsai

Hi all..
..I know we all have pest hurdles to clear in and around our gardens and trees...
..but does anyone get 'slugus-enormous' turning up to party every night .. ?
I catch 'em in my beer-traps every day, and took a pic of what is actually a med-smallish compared
to some of the giants who weigh in @ twice his size ..
grrrrrrrrr......
Matt.

eewwwwwwy

gosh if thats a small one - looks like some sort of fish could you cook the big ones up n have wif chips?

They are rather large. Crushed up snail baits under your pots will help with your tree's . Around areas that are prone to them gathering put down a layer of Salt.

Talcum powder is also good it dries them out so they stay away. Most of these Ideas are prone to wash away so have to be repeated.

Just a few tips to try to help.

Cheers Pup

i agree completely. i have cats so i put snail pellets under upside pots too. i cut two little openings for the snails and slugs to gain access. salt is a great idea!! might make a perimeter around the bonsai stands to help this issue! great advice

Thanks Pup - always keen to try summin different - esp if it works!!
Matt.

I was told these are called Leopard Slugs. They are supposed to be carnivores - they hunt and eat other slugs so may be a good thing to have. Maybe someone else knows more? Once saw a video of them mating. They climb up somewhere elevated then hang on a string of mucus while mating and gradually extend the mucous string until they reach the ground. Really fascinating.

shibui wrote:I was told these are called Leopard Slugs. They are supposed to be carnivores - they hunt and eat other slugs so may be a good thing to have. Maybe someone else knows more? Once saw a video of them mating. They climb up somewhere elevated then hang on a string of mucus while mating and gradually extend the mucous string until they reach the ground. Really fascinating.

Ya Bloody Perve . Maybe if that is the case you would be better off not killing them. They can eat the nasties that do eat your plants.

Still laughing at shbui's perving

Pup

Oh man, if the Crows, Magpies, Kurrawongs, Kookaburras and Owls at my place could only get some of those!! Kookaburras are pretty busy gorging themselves on Locusts at the moment.

You could put one of the monster slugs in a jar with a regular slug and see if the monster feeds on the other.

I lived in Watsonia until a few years ago, we were overrun by earwigs, millipedes and slaters mostly.

Cheers,
Mojo

Pup wrote:

shibui wrote:I was told these are called Leopard Slugs. They are supposed to be carnivores - they hunt and eat other slugs so may be a good thing to have. Maybe someone else knows more? Once saw a video of them mating. They climb up somewhere elevated then hang on a string of mucus while mating and gradually extend the mucous string until they reach the ground. Really fascinating.

Ya Bloody Perve . Maybe if that is the case you would be better off not killing them. They can eat the nasties that do eat your plants.

Still laughing at shbui's perving

Pup

soooo ... I've learnt a lot aboot slugs!!

Yes they are 'Leopard slugs' , and apparently do eat//hunt other slugs... however also chow-down on your plants - esp vegies//herbs.
They can purportedly destroy a crop overnight, so I think I'll keep the 'Beer-traps' up
Mojo - they may well be the reason we get a lot of crows//birds hanging around, even with bonsai (the cat) 'en-garde'
I do like Pups' tip of putting the snail//slug pellets under the pots, as I have 2 dogs and a cat ...
happy slug-hunting !!
Matt.

Noramay wrote:eewwwwwwy

gosh if thats a small one - looks like some sort of fish could you cook the big ones up n have wif chips?

I was all like, "What the heck!!? Dude's got small carp in his bonsai!!?? "

That dead set looks like a small carp, even that "fin" on the side.

They do mate on strings of mucus. Call me a pervert too but i thought it was cool! I even have photos somewhere

Rather than using traditional snail and slug baits, try to get the iron based ones. They are completely safe to other animals, so you wont end up killing the birds and blue tongues. Even better, they are broken down gradually by organisms in the soil to form a soluble form that plants can take up as a fertilizer.

Joel

That is the reason they inveted 'slug guns"