We will look at how to get rid of slugs in the cellar in this article. Fighting slugs in the cellar is not as difficult as it is unpleasant.
It is also worth knowing that if this is not done in time, other parasites may appear in your cellar; you may also attract frogs that feed on slugs. Therefore, you need to know exactly how to deal with slugs in the basement.
Today you will be offered instructions about the fight, as well as a video where you can watch everything.
general information
For successful reproduction, slugs need moisture and dampness. Therefore, with the onset of twilight, many types of slugs look for favorable places, and the cellar is an ideal place not only for reproduction, but also for life, see the photo on the right.
Pests crawl into the cellar through the vent or cracks. Humid air and optimal (usually about 5°C) temperature allow slugs to lead an active lifestyle here all year round.
Slugs can also get into the cellar on vegetables, for example, hiding in cabbage leaves or remaining unnoticed in a potato tuber. The question arises: “How to get rid of slugs in the cellar?”
Therefore, before sending vegetables for storage, they should be carefully inspected.
We’ll look at slugs and how to deal with them in the cellar below.
Pest control on cabbage
Of all the vegetables in the garden, cabbage is especially loved by slugs.
Its juicy, tender leaves are the best delicacy for pests, and very often they destroy the entire crop on the site. It is highly undesirable to use chemicals on cabbage, especially since there are many effective and affordable folk remedies.
Spraying
Experienced gardeners recommend spraying cabbage with hot water. This vegetable can withstand temperatures up to 60 degrees without consequences, while slugs die at 40 degrees.
If pests are visible between the leaves on the heads of cabbage, you need to heat the water to 40-45 degrees and thoroughly spray the plants.
The treatment should not be long so that burns do not remain on the leaves. Dead shellfish must be manually selected from the sheets after a hot shower.
Instant coffee helps get rid of slugs well. Upon contact with caffeine, large individuals lose activity and orientation, and small ones die.
To spray, just dissolve a double portion of coffee powder or granules in a glass of water, and then treat the cabbage. Having smelled the smell, slugs will avoid cabbage beds, but coffee does not harm the plants.
Pests also do not like the smell of wormwood, tobacco, marigolds, and walnut leaves. They need to be brewed in boiling water, left for 2-3 hours, then the cabbage should be treated with strained and cooled infusion.
Occasionally, you can use a weak saline solution (100 g per bucket of water) or a solution of ammonia in a ratio of 1:6.
Traps
During the day, slugs always hide from the heat in thick grass, under stones, and in compost heaps. You can make your own slug traps. To do this, you will need available materials: old boards, pieces of slate, burlap, roofing felt and other rubbish.
Having chosen a convenient open place, you should water it thoroughly and lay any material on top. Burlap and rags must be additionally moistened with water.
In a day or two, slugs will gather under the shelter; they should be collected and taken away from the site, and the shelter should be left for the next batch. See the photo below for what a slug trap looks like.
A good trap can be made from an ordinary plastic bottle. The bottle is crushed on the sides so that it does not roll on the ground, a little fruit juice, honey or beer is poured inside, and placed flat between the cabbage beds.
You can press it down on top with a flat stone or board, fixing it in one position. Slugs will definitely smell the smell and get into the bottle, but it will be difficult for them to get out.
Once every 2 days you need to check the traps, remove any pests and add juice.
Lures
Another way to catch slugs is to place bait in the area. Grapefruit, orange or watermelon peels are used as bait; To do this, they are cut in half, the pulp is selected, and a small hole is cut in the center of the peel.
The resulting cups are placed cut side down on the beds in the evening; Attracted by the aroma, the slugs crawl under the skin and remain there until the morning. After this, all that remains is to check all the baits and collect the shellfish.
How to fight?
Controlling slugs in the cellar can include both chemical and mechanical methods. Chemical slug repellents can be purchased at gardening stores. Such preparations are usually scattered on shelves and on the floor of the cellar.
Anti-slug products based on metaldehyde or copper sulfate are prohibited from being used in basements (cellars) and residential premises.
Mechanical control methods involve the construction of traps and barriers for pests. In addition, there are very effective folk remedies for fighting slugs. Read on to find out how to deal with it.
Details about methods of fighting slugs are described here.
What types of slugs are there?
There are many types of slugs. Their main differences are color and size. Not all of them can live in basements. The most frequent “guests” of the cellar are:
- brown forest or garden slug;
- reticulated slug;
- slug from Southern Europe.
The latter poses the greatest danger to summer residents. It is easy to distinguish from others by its large size. An adult mollusk can reach up to 15 cm in length. In addition to the fact that it poses a serious danger to crops, such a slug is poisonous to pets. But regardless of the type, all shellfish found in the cellar must be destroyed. They are carriers of various parasites that are dangerous to domestic animals and birds.
Large roadside slug.
Typically, slugs are most active at night. It is at this time that they lay eggs. Development from an egg to an independent organism occurs in just 2 weeks. At the same time, the masonry is resistant to frost. Often, after successful baiting of slugs, in the spring the owners of the basement notice the young hatching.
Traps in the basement
Many gardeners and summer residents ask the question : “How to get rid of them using a shelter trap?”, “How to destroy them with a beer trap?”, “Slugs, how to deal with them in the basement?” More on this later.
Shelter traps
Boxes with vegetables are lifted up onto shelves, and pieces of linoleum, plywood sheets or any flat material are laid out on the floor.
Gradually, the bottoms of the boxes will begin to dry out, and the slugs will begin to move to the floor in search of more humid shelter. This is where they are collected.
For greater effectiveness, you can put pieces of chopped vegetables and fruits under the traps.
Prevention
If the slugs have been removed, it is necessary to prevent their reappearance. To do this, the cellar, as we said above, needs to be “taken care of.” To do this, summer residents usually:
- create good ventilation;
- constantly ventilate the room;
- check cracks at the first sign of pests;
- In autumn and spring, sprinkle corners and floors with mineral fertilizers or salt. These substances act on slugs like naphthalene on moths. Death comes quickly.
- regularly inspect their vegetable supplies for the appearance of slug colonies.
Alexander says:
One season, we were overcome by slugs. In their gluttony, they were not inferior to locusts, they ate ALL the greenery, right down to the very root. They spent many days fighting this scourge. I sprinkled the beds with slugs with lime and ash in a layer of more than one centimeter. After 30 minutes, the slugs crawled out of the “den” formed from sticky lime and ash, and continued their devastating raid. They tried to water with all sorts of chemicals, everything was in vain. They managed to win, only with the help of a natural factor, the rains came to replace dry heat...
What to process?
Dusting with lime, as well as a mixture of wood ash and chalk, helps against slugs in the basement.
All vegetables and equipment are removed from the basement and the cracks are sealed. Then thoroughly dust the room. This treatment kills the slugs instantly; they are collected and thrown away.
After dusting, the entire basement is whitewashed with lime. The basement is dried, ventilated and only after that the vegetables are brought back. The dusting method is most effective at the initial stage of slug colonization in the basement.
Folk remedies
Since the presence of slugs and the damage from them is a long-standing problem known to people involved in growing various crops and plants, a number of folk remedies have been developed to combat these pests:
- Shellfish are attracted to beer and fruit aromas, so you can treat burlap or some other material with these drinks, and then spread it out in the garden in the evening. By morning, a significant number of individuals should flock to the smell, and all that remains is to destroy them.
- Salt and soap are two things that all types of shellfish cannot tolerate. You can dig small holes around the perimeter of flower beds or beds, where you can place containers filled with soapy water or salt water. The top of the vessels is covered with rags or burlap so as not to attract unnecessary attention. The smells from the solutions will repel slugs, and if one of them crawls through the wet material, they will soon die.
- Any porous surfaces are a real problem for any shellfish, as they are difficult to move on. Knowing this feature, you can make life difficult for pests by scattering eggshells, shell fragments, sharp pebbles or small gravel over the beds. They will prefer not to move on such soil, which will reduce access to plants.
- Once a week, plants can be treated with lemon solution, which will scare away all uninvited guests. For its preparation, about 25 grams are used. citric acid, which is diluted in 10 liters of ordinary water.
- Periodically water the passages between the beds with ground coffee, which is pre-dissolved in water.
- Wood ash or tobacco ash is another effective deterrent that can be sprinkled on or around your garden beds.
Cellars Kuzmich
Slugs are a real disaster for the cellar and its supplies. And it doesn’t matter how it was created: brick or plastic. Dampness and humidity, cracks are the main reason for the appearance of guests. But at the same time, pests are not able to appear in Kuzmich’s monolithic cellars. Our cellars are made of hydroconcrete M-400/B20/W12 and have additional layers of waterproofing, so moisture from the outside simply cannot appear in the room.
In addition, the cellars already have properly functioning ventilation and a sealed hatch, thanks to which the air will be relatively dry. Interior decoration, carefully crafted corners and seams, a completely monolithic body - ideal protection against various kinds of pests, mold, mildew and other troubles that lie in wait for fresh vegetables in the cellar.
In addition to everything, we equip the Kuzmich cellars with shelves and racks, a ladder, and an LED lamp. This is a completely ready-to-use cellar, reliable and safe.
