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The easiest way to get rid of a slug problem in your garden is to give them beer

07/30/2018 // Zoey Sky // Views

Tags: beer, beer trap, community garden, Food storage, food supply, fresh produce, garden slugs, gardening tips, home gardening, Homestead, homesteading, how-to, local farms, off grid, organic gardening, organics, pesticides, pests, preparedness, prepper, prepping, self sufficiency, self-reliance, slugs, survival, sustainable living, urban gardening, vegetables

Garden pests like slugs will damage the various plants in your garden. If you want to eliminate these disgusting and slimy pests, here's a strange but effective way to get rid of them: beer traps. (h/t to BeansBulletsBandagesAndYou.com)

How to make slug beer traps

These natural traps are easy to build and set up, and all you'll need is some beer and an empty plastic soda bottle or an empty beer can.

1. Take an empty plastic soda bottle or beer can and carefully cut it into a cup-shaped container. You can cut the soda bottle in half while the bottom half of a beer can will do.
2. Bury the makeshift cup up to its lip in the soil at known slug entrances to your garden. You can also hide the traps near spots in your homestead where you think slugs gather. Fill the cup at least halfway with your choice of beer. (Related: Stop slugs from ruining your garden with these natural strategies.)
3. Leave the slug beer traps overnight. When you check them the next morning, you'll find several slugs that have drowned in the beer. Dispose of the pests properly and empty the trap, then refill it with beer. Return it to your garden to deter new slugs from destroying your crops.

It's possible that the slugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide in the yeast in beer. If you don't want to use beer in these traps, you can substitute water warmed to bread-making temperature with a teaspoon of bread yeast.

Other ways to eliminate garden slugs

If you don't want to leave beer all over your garden, here are other natural ways to get rid of slugs:

• Add plants that can deter slugs – Instead of using harsh chemicals, try cultivating some plants that can keep slugs away like anise, astrantia, fennel, rosemary, and wormwood.
• Form a prickly barrier – Since slugs are soft-bodied mollusks, you can keep them away with prickly barriers. Scatter crushed egg shells, pine needles, or thorny cuttings near your plants to keep slugs away.
• Make some garlic spray – Garlic spray is another natural method that you can use to eliminate garden slugs. Unlike the other options, garlic spray won't harm your pets or plants. To make your own garden spray, crush some garlic. Put the crushed garlic in a bowl and add boiled water. Cover the bowl and let the mixture stand overnight. The next morning, strain the mixture and pour the garlic water into a spray bottle. You can use the garlic spray directly on affected plants. Adjust the concentration of the garlic spray based on the presence of slugs in your garden.
• Place a lure – Trap slugs in your garden by leaving dried cat food or a pile of old lettuce leaves in a damp and shady corner. This will attract slugs and you can catch them at night, which is when they're most active.
• Sprinkle some salt – Use salt sparingly because it can also affect the plants in your garden. Sprinkle salt on slugs to kill them easily.

You can read more articles about natural ways to eliminate garden pests like slugs at HomeGardeningNews.com.

Sources include:

BeansBulletsBandagesAndYou.com

TheEnglishGarden.co.uk

HomeRemedyHacks.com

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