Slugs and snails can do major damage to tender garden plants. They usually feed at night and hide during the daylight hours. Snails and their shell-less relatives, slugs, are mollusks and are related to clams, mussels and oysters. The eggs of slugs and snails look like clusters of 1/8" pearls: if you find them under rocks, boards or pots, destroy them.
To make it harder for snails and slugs to become established, clean up garden debris, where they like to hide.
A barrier strip of copper foil will also protect your plants, as snails and slugs are electrocuted when they come into contact with the metal. Be careful when installing copper foil: the edges are sharp (figure A). Copper foil costs about $1 a foot at nurseries and garden centers. Copper tape is also available, with adhesive on the back for easy installation. Prevent trailing plants from growing over the copper and creating a bridge for the snails to cross.
Barriers of diatomaceous earth, made from the calcified bodies of tiny sea creatures (figure B), will also help protect your plants. The sharp fragments of diatomaceous earth puncture the body of the mollusks and eventually kill them. Make sure you choose diatomaceous earth designated for garden use. You must keep diatomaceous earth fresh. Once it gets wet it loses its sharp edges and its ability to deter slugs and snails.
Snails like to hide during the daylight hours, and it's simple to construct a trap to lure them to their death. Prop up a piece of 2" by 4" lumber so the snails can crawl underneath. In the morning, crush the snails by whacking the board on the ground. Draw them to the trap by baiting the area surrounding the board with dry cat food.
Finally, try beer traps. Sink shallow containers in the soil, and fill them with beer (nonalcoholic "near beer" doesn't work). Slugs are attracted to beer and will drown in it.
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