I live down in south texas. It has been raining almost everyday for the last month. Because of this rain we have a lot of snails and some slugs in our backyard. I have poured beer on them as well as salt. It gets rid of them. Then it rains again and we get more. It seems that we are getting more snails in our yard than our neighbors. I wonder why this is. Or is everybody dealing with this problem that I just can't see them? We do have a dog. Our house is in a new subdivison that is still under construction. Do I wait until the rains stops to call an exterminator?
2007-07-24 12:24:33 · 9 answers · asked by lisa103181 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Under the current weather conditions an out break of this type is not unexpected. As things dry out, they will reduce in number. Don't pour beer on them. It might kill that one, but it will attract others. In fact, it is drowning in the beer tht kills them, not contact with beer. (Darn I hope you weren't using the good stuff. Salt is bad for the plants, and can stain some surfaces. I never use it.
Place some boards on the ground to give them a spot to accumulate during the day. Then in the daylights hours, flip the boards over and spray them with an ammonia based window cleaner. If you see a big one at night, pin it to the ground with a stick. They are unable to resist coming to devour their own kind. Go back in an hour with your Windex or generic equivelant. There will probably be a bunch of them crawling all over the first one. Spray them.
Most exterminators will use highly toxic metaldehyde based baits. That is a bad way to go. As you can tell, the slimey creatures do try my patience as well. A few, I can tolerate, but a major outbreak is a different matter. Good luck, Hope this helps.
I do not recommend eating wild snails and slugs, even after cleansing. They have been know carriers of liver flukes. I don't know if cooking would resolve that issue.
2007-07-24 12:45:28 · answer #1 · answered by character 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You hit it, rain. They remain glued up inside their shells or their egg masses remain glued tight until the rains. Then they come out and play. They do two things, eat and procreate. When it gets dry, they go back into the soil, glue themselves in and wait. So obviously you had a lot of hibernators in your soil.....since it is unlikely you have a lush landscape yet. Wonder what it was like before construction? Bet the snails are surprised, "Where'd the food go??"
Pouring beer on them is not the deal, they need to fall into the beer. By installing little beer pits around the yard, that is put the level of the cut at or near soil level so they fall in. They like fresh stuff, after a day or two it's stale and need to be replaced. Actually, they hate alcohol. It's the fermentation that's drawing them in. You could use nonalcoholic beer, if it's still around, or make your own "brew" from yeast, water, sugar and flour.....dilute it greatly after it starts bubbling all the while keeping the yeast alive. If you bake breads you know what I mean.
You can use baits but they need to go into the bait stations and then made dog proof. I don't know how tenacious your dog is....so dog proof might mean more than it would with my guys.
Exterminators are likely to sprinkle pellets around, endangering your dog.
Finally there are predator snails that will eat your brown garden snails, problem is once they finish off the escargot, they become a pest. So I wouldn't recommend it.
If you or your neighbors are not using pesticides, the snails can be cooked and eaten and mentioned above.....but they need to be cleaned first. For five days they need to be in their own container and fed corn meal and washed every few hours......and water, of course. The corn meal is thrown out every day and replaced. After 5 days and more baths they are ready to cook.............no, I wouldn't either. I won't eat them at restaurants.
2007-07-24 12:45:14 · answer #2 · answered by fluffernut 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Snails In My Garden
2016-10-18 02:35:53 · answer #3 · answered by clausel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have no love for garden snails and would crash them with my foot every time I find one. I wouldn't eat them. Get rid of them!
Read up on the Nature of Our Garden by Steve and Cyndi Kirkpatrick at http://www.eosdev.com/Nature/snailscontent.htm.
Maybe some answers there for you.
Also check out Central San website below for a printable fact sheet on slugs and snails.
http://www.centralsan.org/education/ipm/IPMgenericFSpdfs-2000/SnailSlug.pdf
2007-07-24 12:53:55 · answer #4 · answered by Young Uncle 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snails are excellent sources of protein. Just sautee them in some gralic for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
2007-07-24 12:29:13 · answer #5 · answered by tmac5445 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the ground they live in is flooded so they have to surface all the time instead of just at night when the rains stop they will go back under and all will be fine again
2007-07-24 12:36:21 · answer #6 · answered by Imagine 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Click this link:
http://www.familymatters.tv/level_4/homeandgarden/snails.htm
2007-07-24 12:33:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They're obviously thriving.
Sprinkle epsom salt wherever you see them. NOT TABLE SALT!
Epsom salt will kill them, and feed your lawn
2007-07-24 13:05:57 · answer #8 · answered by TURANDOT 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
under rocks, on trees.
2016-03-19 07:38:50 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋