A saying around our garden is, "The rules are different on this side of the fence". Critters that I'd allow, and perhaps even welcome in the yard or nearby woods may be trapped, smashed, or "disposed of" if they are on the inside of the garden fence. It's not fun for many to realize that food isn't always dirt and bug-free during growth, but that is reality in home gardens and commercial farms. I kinda figure, if a bug won't eat it, why would I want to? What has been added to the plant or surroundings to keep the critters away, and is it something I want in my food? Just be sure to wash produce well, cut off damaged areas, and enjoy your harvest.

Hi Elizabeth! Sorry to hear that. I have the same problem. I havent gotten any beer, so yesterday (since it was raining & I couldnt do anything outside) I sat on my back porch cutting up old nursery pots, used the ones that were old and getting brittle or were already broken, and I made collars for all of my brugs as well as my veggies. I put them around the plants today. I started saving the dryer lint, and tomorrow I will start putting that as well as the fur from the dogs inside & around the collars. The collars will prevent the caterpillars from climbing up, and the lint and fur will deter the slugs, they get all caught up and can't slime over it supposedly. Then maybe I'll give em a dose of salt if I find em caught up in the morning, hehehe!! We'll see. Wont be pretty, but hey, gotta do whatchya gotta do. If the slugs manage to still get over the wall, and past the lint & fur, I plan on taking the collars and putting glue around the rim, then dipping in some sharp sand..that should stop them from getting over the edge. Can you tell I have been busy plotting against slugs? lol. Daniella

Steve, I don't have Chemlawn for the perfectly manicured yard. I don't use miracle grow, I have a compost pile to enrich my gardens. I don't use rubber mulch, or colored mulch. I don't use slug bait, or vole bait, or chipmunk bait I have a dog to worry about. I don't shoot deer even though they are a huge problem here in NE Ohio. And... I don't use those disgusting japanese beetle bags. I said 7 because it is an insecticide people know of, oops big mistake. Actually last year after blasting with water, spraying with soapy water, I used Ecosence. It is still an insecticide and probably just as bad as 7, but sounds friendlier and my plants were happier. I did not use it on my hosta, but they do get aphids and look sickly. I went so far as to take a larve infested tree leaf to our local dept. of agriculture, thinking they could help, but they were some kind of wasp galls not aphid. Google aphids on hosta. My 2 Twilights already have ants on them probably from the honeydew from the aphids. I am not a scientist, or horticulturist, just a friendly backyard gardener trying to leave a clean footprint and a few beautiful gardens behind. It could be from my trees, soil, or compost. I don't know and thought maybe someone else has encountered a similar problem and has a good ecofriendly solution. Happy gardening! WW P.S. Yes, I am inquiring about lady bugs.

Like Jamie jr. above, I have developed quite a pitching arm from all of the slugs I have launched into the wetlands which are adjacent to our property here in slug heaven (Olympia Washington). I used to pitch the snails as well but my animal-loving daughters took one look at the cute crawly thing in my hand and immediately insisted we adopt all we could find. We now have three terrariums in our house: one each for the two girls and one as a snail hospital for the ones that had broken shells. The good news about all of this is that my yard is becoming increasingly slug and snail-free thanks to the encouragement of my daughters who want new pals each day... but that slug slime is DISGUSTING! I have to use soap and water PLUS a scrub brush to remove it from my hands which have become quite numb. Seems to me there ought to be a use for something that is extra tough and numbing...???hmmm...