Do the little blue Slug pellets harm birds and frogs?

I'm new to gardening. I jumped in the deep end and bought lots of different flowers, planted some in an above ground flower bed I made and also put some in fancy pots etc.

Only to discover that some were being eaten! The above ground flower bed is between two huge trees. This was suffering the largest attack. I knew there were flies around so kinda assumed it was the flies eating them. So I bought some spray stuff that you can spray on the plants to stop that. That didn't work and only served to turn my leaves white and despite not spraying the flowers directly, some of them went manky too. :rolleyes:

I've since discovered, Slugs and Snails are now my mortal enemy! It's these little blighters that are doing the scoffing! I've lost 5 plants.

I have some Slug killer stuff in a big green bottle, has little blue pellets inside. I used this last night as I spotted a giant slug on one of my new plants! :eek: Got up this morning and found LOTS of dead slugs on the path where the plant was sitting temporally.
Aha! revenge!

I have a frog somewhere in my garden. It occasionaly jumps out from random places (and often makes my jump :D ). I'm building a pond so no doubt will attract more of them. My fear now it that this slug killer stuff might harm them too? I also attract birds to the garden.

What should I do? I want to keep the frog/s and the birds and don't wish harm on them at all.

 

Brind

Other forum members may correct me but I don't think birds and frogs eat the pellets themselves. The risk is they may eat the slugs poisoned by the pellets and absorb the poison that way. My personal observation is that most birds seem reluctant to eat big slugs and only go for the small ones. They wipe them a lot to reduce the slime. Frogs are less particular and you can see a frog eating a big slug on You Tube - I'd swear it pulls a face after swallowing it, though!

So I think the risk is small but you can buy pellets based on ferric phosphate that are certified for organic use, marketed by Growing Success. I've used them this year - unfortunately, I don't think they're very effective.

You'll find that you'll need to use all means possible to defeat slugs and snails. All the time. For ever.

 

As Flinty says above, welcome to the world of slug hatred

 

Personaly i prefer to use a combination of beer traps, grit and copper rings.

Trouble with pelets is that they quickly deteriate with any wet weather. Secondry poisoning ie thrushes etc has been proven.

 

P-

I thought that was if people have sprinkled them on their gardens like salt and pepper? ie too much

 

I have a book 101 ways to kill a slug if anyone is interested :D mind you some of the idea's arent politically correct but slugs are scared to enter my garden cos its all out war

 

I have loads of frogs, also loads of slugs.
I will never be convinced that frogs eat slugs, when there is something better about, and there usually is I reckon.
I've used those pellets Flinty, and they didn't work for me either.
I still think the old metadehyde pellets are the best, spread very thinly.
There was a water on product available a few years ago which worked, but not sure if you can still get it.

I know there is the problem of birds eating the half dead slugs, but most seem to avoid them.

 

AC-

Post some of the funnier ones

 

I thought that was if people have sprinkled them on their gardens like salt and pepper? ie too much

Largly I guess.

 

I use slug pellets once a year in March April which allows my hostas and ligularias to come through ok. The rest of the year I don't suffer after this initial blitz. I have to say I don't feel too bad although I am ignorant to any national statistics. I have loads of nests/birds and frogs in the garden and I am sure my exploits kill less frogs and birds that the neighbours cats.

 

And still less than magpies

 

Make sure you go out in the morning and pick up all the dead ones so they don't gt eaten by birds and frogs.

 

As posted. The blue pellets can harm wildlife if the slugs are then eaten. In fact, any poison put down can harm the animals or birds that eat poisoned slugs or snails.

So you really have to do what you want to do....it's your choice. As has been said, there are other ways of combating slugs without poison and free beer is available for beer traps. :thumb:

 

I find frogs in the garden invaluable I have loads of them and no problem with slugs I do have snails usually a midnight ramble followed by a launch sorts most of them out,if you need to use slug pellets put them under an upturned plant pot or a piece of slate they will last longer and the birds wont get them and as ellie says pick up any corpses in the morning.