Snails.....

We have some unique pests to deal with in Australia. Post your experiences and treatments here for others to learn from.
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Luke308
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Re: Snails.....

Post by Luke308 »

Damian Bee wrote:Most of the fine material inc coffee and powders etc tends to lose its property after the first encounter with moisture. I was putting coffee fines out at the back door until I noticed an explosion of slug and snails in the vicinity of the fines. As for shelves, I have seen slugs hanging off threads of slime in my shade house when I was about 14. You could say they were hanging to get into the maiden hair fern which was in a hanging basket.

I have had slugs wipe out my fig seedlings which were in jiffy pots in a seedling tray with clear plastic lid (mini greenhouse/propagator) on a shelf about 1200mm off the ground!!! Snails have also found their way up on to this shelf, but they can't fit through the bottom of the tray. Since then I have had no choice but to use snail bait. One thing I have noticed though is it seems to entice more snails to the pot, but they never make it to the foliage as they stop to snack on the bait :hooray: I have a few pots which look like a snail mass murder took place as there is about 8 or so empty snail shells. Hopefully that sends a message to the other snails too :fc:

I am not sure if it was mentioned, but when I was younger, I seen some guys at school pour table salt on to slugs and snails, and it reminded me of the witch from the wizard of oz ("I'm melting") :palm: . Very cruel, but then again so is eating my pride and joy trees when there is a whole garden they can snack on.
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paddles
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Re: Snails.....

Post by paddles »

when I was a young child... I was taught by a friends father, to catch the snail, hook it out of the shell with a wire, and then we'd smoke them over a fire in an old coffee can... we didn't eat them or anything like that, but it would keep us occupied for hrs, and of course helped control the snails in his garden....

these days, the kids would look at the snail and go "yuck" then wander back to thier gameboys...
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Damian Bee
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Re: Snails.....

Post by Damian Bee »

Luke308 wrote:I have had slugs wipe out my fig seedlings which were in jiffy pots in a seedling tray with clear plastic lid (mini greenhouse/propagator) on a shelf about 1200mm off the ground!!! Snails have also found their way up on to this shelf, but they can't fit through the bottom of the tray. Since then I have had no choice but to use snail bait. One thing I have noticed though is it seems to entice more snails to the pot, but they never make it to the foliage as they stop to snack on the bait :hooray: I have a few pots which look like a snail mass murder took place as there is about 8 or so empty snail shells. Hopefully that sends a message to the other snails too :fc:

I am not sure if it was mentioned, but when I was younger, I seen some guys at school pour table salt on to slugs and snails, and it reminded me of the witch from the wizard of oz ("I'm melting") :palm: . Very cruel, but then again so is eating my pride and joy trees when there is a whole garden they can snack on.
:lol: you know you're in trouble when you see them carrying saws to get through the seedling tray or wearing a tie and packing a briefcase full of letters documenting your activities :whistle:

I have caught my cat snacking on the ones which have experienced sudden impact with a hard surface, not sure I want to pick him up after that :lost:

Paddles, that would have stunk.
Last edited by Damian Bee on March 22nd, 2012, 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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