Slugs, snails or caterpillars?

Something is having a good nibble at quite a few of my newly emerging perennials Its had a go at the Day Lilies, Cone Flowers and even Hyacinth leaves

What could it be? I've sprinkled slug pellets, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells and grit everywhere now...at first I only did it around the usual plants that get attacked (Lupins, Delphiniums and Lobelia) but now the borders look like a war zone or obstacle course.

I've no found any of the huge slugs, just a few of the tiny ones, no snails, few of their trails and a couple of caterpillars, all of which have been squashed or fed to the chickens. Anyone any ideas what it could be and more importantly, what to do? I am tempted to do a late night inspection with a torch to see what's out there!

 

After many years trying to out manouvre them the only advice I can offer you Aaron, is try not to look too closely.

I know it's hard, but I have given up, I'll have to grow more plants than they can eat ( my geenhouse is already looking like a nursery).


You'll get all sorts of remedies, they're a waste of time, the pellets perhaps, but I don't want to inadvertently poison their predators, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

 

Wish I could entice more frogs, but we only seem to get the little ones. The garden's damp enough for them!

 

Ok, call me obsessive, but I went out tonight with a torch and found several mini slugs in the vicinity of the plants getting eaten. Bizarrely, they seem to be leaving the lupins alone...

I also found a caterpillar, but a centiped (or something akin to it!) found it too and attacked it. All rather fascinating!

 

I watched a spider attacking a woodlouse once. It was genuinely comical. Have you ever seen a spider actually looked confused? The woodlouse was just ambling along as it wandered past the spider's web. The spider came out as it approach and then froze, laying in wait. As the woodlouse got within striking range the spider lunged forward and surrounded it with its legs. I saw the fangs come down onto the woodlouse's shell, but they couldn't penetrate it. The spider jumped back a inch or so, paused, then attacked again. Meanwhile the woodlouse continued to amble along. After three fruitless strikes, the spider just gave up and turned to watch the woodlouse ambling off, apparently oblivious to the attack.

 

If your slugs are are small, black ones, then they are Keel slugs. They come out at night, feed then spend the day in the soil. Use Slugit, which is a liquid slugkiller.:gnthb:

 

or try nematodes - that is an organic solution and won't kill the birds and frogs.....
Although we have frogs in our garden, the slugs have been MUTANT and way bigger than our frogs!!!! I am hoping the frosts will have killed off loads of them, but not that hopeful........ I have again put out a reward to the kiddies - 10p per slug or snail, then they have to chop them up and put them on the bird table....... :euw:

 

Where can you get Slugit from David?

 

Your local garden centre, it may be under the name Sluguard or some such, now, though.:thumb:

 

Cheers David, I'll have a look this week.