Ask any gardener for their candidate for one of the most distasteful garden pests and they will probably say the slug. With our wet weather slugs will be a serious problem this summer.

Slugs are snails without shells. They belong to the Phylum Mollusca and are more closely related to octopi then insects. Slugs are in a subgroup called the Gastropoda, the members of which have a head, a ventral muscular foot, and a shell (internal in slugs.)

Slugs are usually nocturnal so their damage is noticed before the pests. They eat holes in all kinds of foliage. A sign that slugs are present is that the lower leaves of perennial plants have been eaten. They love hosta leaves! Some annual flowering plants, such as petunias, also are susceptible. They can consume several times their own body weight each night so damage can be serious within a short time.

You can see slugs at night with a flashlight or on a particularly cloudy day. During the day they hide under mulch, leaves, sticks, stones and other debris where it is wet and cool. A sign that you have slugs is that they leave a silvery slime trail on the ground, which sparkles in the morning sun.

Slugs have definite likes and dislikes when it comes to dining. Some gardeners have found these sun loving perennial plants to be slug resistant – artemisias, astilbe, baby’s breath, balloon flowers, candy tuft, columbine, coralbells, coreopsis, dianthus, lupines, peonies, rose campions, rudbeckia, and sedum. There are also shade perennials that slugs avoid – alum root, bleeding-hearts, goat’s beard, leopard plant,hardy begonias and

Jacob’s ladder. Annuals that slugs are not particularly fond of include ageratum, allysum, begonias, cosmos, geraniums, lobelia, naturtium, portulaca, verbena, and zinnias. Slugs also tend to avoid plants with hairy leaves or those with a milky sap.

The best way to combat slugs is to understand their lifecycle. Slugs contain a high percentage of water and will begin feeding as soon as the soil temperatures rise above 40 degrees. They are very susceptible to drying out. So eliminating wet conditions can help control the pests. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead sprinklers. Water in the morning rather than the evening.

They lay their gelatinous eggs in cluster of 40 – 100 in the soil under rocks, mulch, or debris. So populations can be curtailed somewhat by reducing mulch and cleaning up garden debris. Slugs love compost piles so keep your pile separated from the rest of the garden.

There are as many ways to get rid of slugs, as there are slugs. Here are ways some gardeners claim work:

Handpick slugs at night using a flashlight and drop them in a bucket of soapy water.

Lay boards in the garden to trap slugs. Check the traps early in the morning and remove slugs as they collect.

Diatomaceous earth, a coarse powder made from the pulverized remains of fossilized algae, sprinkled around the base of the stems will deter slugs. But it will also discourage beneficial insects.

Drench the soil with wormwood tea.

Beer placed in jar lids or saucers will help keep slugs under control. The beer must be continually replaced as it loses its effectiveness with age and dilution. It is not known whether the slugs are dehydrated, poisoned by the beer or drink themselves to death.

Certain barriers such as coarse sharp sand, eggshells, wood shavings, or wood ash placed around susceptible plants helps to keep slugs away. These materials must be kept dry.

Copper tape, as it works wet or dry, is another effective barrier. When slugs make contact with the copper, there is a toxic reaction, similar to an electric shock, which repels them. The minimum width for the copper barrier needs to be at least two inches.

A new barrier to try is sandpaper. Cut a slit up the center of the sandpaper square and lay around the plant like a collar. Slugs won’t cross the scratchy surface.

Slug bait, chemicals, which will kill the slugs, can be purchased at garden centers. Baits made from phosphate are said to decrease slug populations.

Many natural predators will eat slugs. Slug predators include: ground beetles, frogs, toads, snakes, turtles, and birds, such as blackbirds, thrushes, robins, starlings, crows, jays, ducks, and owls.

Plant good trap crops such as lettuce, cabbage, calendula, marigolds, beans, and zinnias to divert slugs from your prized plants.

Certain plants also repel slugs. Plant ginger, garlic,chives, sage, red lettuce, green lettuce, sunflowers, fennel, mint, chicory, and endive around the perimeter of your garden to keep slugs from infiltrating.

What method do I use to get rid of slugs? None of the above! I am very fortunate to have many blue spruce and Eastern red cedar trees around the garden and yard. The needles and dry pieces of red cedar act as excellent barriers. If slugs are a problem in the garden, I just take a handful of needles or red cedar and place around the plant. Slugs can’t survive when their bodies are cut to pieces!