snails

as I am a childminder I have resisted until the last to buy some snail pellets to put in the garden (to avoid children ingesting them) but I have reached such a level of desperation with snails of all sizes eating even me if I am not careful, that If I ever want to see any flower or plant I will have to recurr to pellets.
Do they resist the rain and how much do I have to put near the plant and how long do they last?
Thank you for any help

 

Well as for pellets round children i think your stumped,If it were me i would lay beer traps.

 

OFSTED will not like that either

 

Like Mrs Pal said....Don't tell 'em!:thumb:

I jest....:D

Beer traps are safer for sure. I use them because Mrs Pal Minds kiddies too.
I reckon if the darlings will eat mud and stones then a little blue 'Smartie' would go down a treat:eek:

 

Evening mira my dear friiend.

I know all about OFSTED, worked with it for years ....

Have you thought about crushed eggshells? Snails are not very fond of them and they are child friendly.

 

Thank you for this useful post L.O.L

 

Mira,you should start by searching every nook and cranny,every damp/shaded area,everything that can be moved....look under it.....and remove them,they won't bite :rolleyes:This will eliminate most of them.
A few pellets strategically placed ,semi disguised will be ok,children won't see them........
Pick up the dead ones so the birds wont eat them........slugs not children

Translation....nook and crany................hidden areas

 

you could try getting some ducks - my neighbour just got some and I chuck my snails over for them! The kid will love them too!

 

You can get the Bird,pet and child friendly slug pellets now, they have worked so far for me. I did use beer befor but stopped when a baby frog drowned in it:( egg shells didn't have much effect. last year was the worst I've known for slugs and snails, they even attacked my Broad Beans, which I have never heard of before.

 

I`m sick of snails on my clematis.If i`ve thrown one in the last month i`ve thrown 20.

 

I used to throw them into next door's very overgrown garden, to try and keep some of the weeds down too, but there's someone living there now... I should try surreptitiously doing it again (since they've not yet made a start on garden clearance) but mark the snails in some way (nail varnish?) to see how long they take to come back!

 

I have heard of and seen quite small children drinking alcohol but never have I seen or even heard of any of them eating slug pellets, our kids are "very" selective in what they will put in their mouths.
Nothing like slug pellets, which are actually made from pure alcohol,I believe.

They would be more likely to drink from your beer traps,slugs and all, than eating pellets!

The rate of spreading pellets is about 6 per square yard, kids would have trouble finding them if laid at that amount.

You are being over cautious on this occasion!

 

totaly agree
theach the kids not to touch blue .... simple :thumb:
im a father of two and i speck to my kids.
i expose my kids to the real world. i teach them wots good and wots bad
sharks cant bite ya if you dont go in the water (if you get my meaning)...:D

 

There is some kind of biological control available. It's a nematode (worm) that attacks slugs and snails. You water it on the soil and the slugs get infected and die. I haven't used it but I gather it works, and it would be harmless to children.
found this on Google
Buy Nemaslug Slug Killer www.unwins.co.uk Effective for up to 6 weeks above & below the soil. From £8.95

 

Something of a sideliner I know but interestingly I know someone who had a snail problem and decided to keep just 3 hens for the eggs. Ater settling into the coop and the run they were let out into the garden for an hour or so daily - they devastated the snail population. What a bonus.

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