Slugs nematodes - Any advice for application

A few days ago I received nematodes and it is my first time applying them.
For now they are in the fridge, but I guess I need to use them soon.
Tiger slugs are a big problem in the garden, but I read that pellets also kill wildlife, so I was trying alternatives.
One big problem is that the forecast is dry weather for the next weeks and have no direct water to the garden. So I guess that, if I need to keep it moist it will mean quite a few jerry cans per week just for that.

I was thinking of applying it mainly to shrubs and other "slug friendly" area around my vegetables and raised beds.
Does it make sense?
Any advice about applying it so it works?

Thanks,
Aldo

 

Hi Aldo.

I am by no means an authority on slugs and snails. I do however find them to be interesting study subjects.

In my encounters with both. I prefer a liquid rather than pellets. 'Slug kill' This can be sprayed over plants and on fences, very useful for snails. Isn't it the Tiger slug that actually is the 'Goody' as it wil devour other slugs.

Using a liquid especially in the GH it is ideal for those baby soft shelled snails. In all my years of gardening etc. I have never resorted to using nematodes. Perhaps two points come to mind. From scientific literature I deduce that more often than not, the use of nematodes is really a waste of money. Then the matter of pellets being fatal to wildlife. Despite all the who-ha, very little evidence has been produced to prove this point. The natural world has many amazing secrets. It is unlikely that a member of wildlife would settle down to dish of well poisoned delights.

I watch out for those tiny slugs and snails. Locally i find many of the giant black slugs some must be eight inches long.These don't like a sprinkling of table salt.

I am sorry that I can't advise more.

 

I've used them and believe they work. Probably best on the smaller ones, they need a minimum soil temperature to work (5°C), also they work best in damper weather. Recently cold dry springs have caused me issues with finding the right conditions, fortunately they generally come with a two week shelf life. They do not work on snails.

 

Thanks everybody!

Now that you mentioned it, I remember reading about slugs feeding on slugs, but I had forgotten.
However, reading about it, the RHS seems to deem them beneficial, while a US association still classifies them as pests, because apparently they can also eat young growth.
I think I did found them around half eaten mushrooms, but now I just concluded that I simply cannot grow mushrooms out of cages, so that is probably not an issue anyway.
Today I could not spot any, so I could not check if they have the black lines and the internal shell remnant which should distinguish them from other species..
The ones I have seen in the past were most definitely mottled, and had long tentacles,but were not quite as large as what I read about.. 10 to 20cm or up to 16cm, dependently on the source?
The largest I have see was probably 6cm. So perhaps they are not even actual leopard snails.

@Mike Allen Slug Kill makes sense, but is it ok to use on vegetables to be consumed?
Thanks for pointing out that there is no evidence that pellets might hurt wildlife. You sent me reading, which was interesting.
It would seem that it is not necessarily the case that wildlife will not eat the poisoned slugs, for hedgehogs this study found that some individuals would not, like you suggested, while for some reasons others will quite happily do so:
Gemmeke (1995) hedgehog metaldehyde pesticides secondary poisoning slugs - People's Trust for Endangered Species
But it would seem that metaldehyde does not bioaccumulate, so in order to be affected an hedgehog would need to ingest a considerable amount in a single day:
Do slug pellets pose a risk to hedgehogs? | Wildlife Online
Birds have been observed to avoid blue pellets also, so like you suggested the pellets would seem safe to use.

It is interesting that one note to the papers advised to use pellets in dry weather, because they cause the slug to produce mucus in such amounts that they dehydrate to death, while in wet weather they survive anyway.

So I guess I will use my remaining pellets now that it is dry and then try the nematodes when perhaps it rains a bit, provided it happens within the next 10 days or so.