Pretty much any time they feel like it, once they are mature enough :-) And the temperatures are around 40F or above. They can lay as many as 500 eggs a season but usually in clusters of 20-30 at a time. The eggs tend to be much more resilient and hardy than the parents and can withstand drought and freezing temperatures easily. In colder climates, it is the eggs that survive winter while the adults tend to perish.

With the cooler and moister weather of fall, a lot of eggs are produced and these hatch as the temperatures warm in spring, just when the banquet of emerging, succulent plant growth is laid out for them. Look for eggs as you do your fall clean up and destroy them to reduce the spring populations. And it won't hurt to put out Sluggo or some similar eco-friendly bait now to eliminate whatever adults are lurking about. Once your weather turns really cold, that will take care of many of the adults that avoid your controls.

What do the eggs look like? Where will I find them?

The eggs look like clusters of fish eggs except they are a creamy color and rather small - see the attached link. They can be found just on the top of the soil, but most often they are somewhat protected and tucked under something.......birds and other creatures find them quite appealing treats :-) Leaves, debris, mulch, the bottom of pots and containers, etc., all make good hiding places. Typically you will find them somewhere moist and dark.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:310548}}

Thanks, gardengal. I might try a little Sluggo as I get each bed cleaned up.

Karen

Good photo link there gardengal. I found quite a few clusters this year when I dug my potatoes from under the straw, along with scads of mature slugs. I mashed all the eggs and cut the slugs in half with my pruning shears. Hopefully it will put a dent in the population next spring...

and cut the slugs in half with my pruning shears

LOL!! I do that too! Sure makes a mess of the pruners for awhile if you've got a lot of 'em to deal with :-)

Has anyone ever tried putting salt on them? My dad does this all the time, it gets rid of them very quickly, they sort of dry right up. I hate slugs, they are such nasty things. I thought my yard was free from slugs until last month when I found my first slug after all the rain we had, right in back of my bird bath. It's moist and dark there, due to all the rain and the salvia that's growing there.

Think I'll buy some Slugo though, it never hurts to be ready!

Linda

Karen,

Another thing you might try is watering your gardens in the spring with 1 part amonia and 10 parts water. The amonia kills the slugs and eggs and since it's nitrogen, gives a little UMPH to the gardens.

I've done this to the hosta gardens and it works well. Unfortunately it doesn't work on deers. :O(

Wouldn't it be nice if they could just lay their eggs in March??

You told me that last year sometime and I went out and bought a new bottle of amonia. At least it's cheap. I never got any farther than opening the bottle! It smells so bad and so strong that I just can't bring myself to pour it on the soil. It cleans the house well and I have used it inside for that purpose but I just cannot make myself pour that on my soil.

I know, pathetic. And thanks for the suggestion.

Karen

LOL!! Cute Karen!!

Do you collect UCGs? Another thing you might try is mixing them with shredded leaves and applying that as mulch in the spring. In the areas where I do this I find there's not as many slugs as in some other gardens. Just another suggestion...

I still think they should only be allowed to lay their eggs in a particular month. :O)

What is a UGC?

Used Coffee Grounds.