Now there's a philosophical conundrum for you!

Mm, personally I prefer to send them off to sleep quickly in a bucket of beer. I wouldn't want them to have a slow death from chemicals.

..but then, I hate having to kill the things at all. But we have so many of the little horrors. :(

Melanie

Snails are cruel to plants, though... think of all those poor young hopeful seedlings whose lives are extinguished when they have barely begun...

I do occasional nightly rounds with a bucket of salt water. Nightscented, what is that eco friendly killer and is it safe with pets?

It's Advanced Slug Killer, made by Growing Success (I think). Quite a few garden centres (and B&Q) seem to stock it. It is safe for pets, apparently. See this page from their website for more info:
http://www.growingsuccess.org.uk/detail.asp?ID=Advanced+Slug+Killer&cat=Slug_and_Snail_Control

Having said that... I've also been known to go out at night with a torch and a pair of scissors. I just snip the slugs/snails in half.

I suppose it depends on what you think of as cruel and whether you care enough about slugs and snails to consider it.

Ferric phosphate, once ingested by slugs and snails, prevents the animals from eating. They die of starvation in 3 to 7 days so yes it's a slow and if slugs and snails feel pain, painful death.

We tried one supposedly environmental and wildlife safe slug/snail killer (not the Advanced Slug Killer) and ended up having to bury around 10 frogs that died within a week. We stopped using it!

I live in southern Ontario-Canada, it's nice to see that even our neighbours across the pond have the same issues.Myself and my daughter have launched a number of campaigns against the slug/snail in our backyard. I have saved every egg shell, crushed them and sprinkled them around my hostas, trillium etc.We have adapted the 'it's them or us' attitude, and while I don't consider chemicals an option, my beer traps ensure I don't lose my mind and the slugs/snails die happy.

I think you are all cruel to snails whatever way you choose to kill them. I have a front garden full of snails in the late spring and summer months.My back garden has hardly any snails or slugs as I have a pond and the frogs enjoy a tasty morsel or so I am told as I have never seen them devour one, but with the lack of them I would have to surmise that they are getting eaten. Killed to be eaten is okay as all of nature is like that. Killed just because we want a lovely garden with plants that are delicious to slugs and snails is not right.
Don't think that I haven't had them eat my beautiful plants that I was looking forward to seeing, because they have done so. My clematis was devoured in one night. I moved it round to the back garden where it has thrived this year. I think what you should be doing is thinking of plants that you want that snails do not enjoy and go from there. That way you still have a lovely garden and the snail and slug population go elsewhere.
Alison

Here is a link that might be useful: Alisons garden website

we go round with a torch, every once in a while. round them up, stick them in a bucket, and let them go in the nearest wooded copse , when we pass

on the subject of beer traps for slugs and snails (the evil hosta munching little rat bags!) i would point out that although they are effective i have found that they kill more beetles than pests so have stopped using them and gone back to 'torching 'for slugs and snails.

You are all going to hate me for saying this but I use the old fashioned slug pellets although it says on the pack that its harmless to pets and birds... hmm I doubt it. I really hate the look of slugs and snails they make my skin crawl but like the others I feel really guilty when I see the effects of the pellets Ugh disgusting. I use them sparingly because they actually attract the snails so you dont need to sprinkle them too liberally. I find thet there are natural 'roadways' that the slugs seem to use and if I put them on these areas I get a good kill. I have also found that if you put them down only every month or so it keeps the population down adequatly. The thought of stamping on them makes me shiver - I freak even if I accidentally stand on one at night- and as for cutting them with a scissors I cant think of anything more revolting!!

I have always stamped on mine on the grounds that it is the least cruel method of killing them. Presumably even in a bucket of salt water they take some time to die? I go out after dark on days when it has been raining but has stopped, armed with a torch, a disposable rubber glove and a plastic bag (or two). I can easily pick up a hundred or more. They go into the bag, then I seal the bag and stamp on it several times. I put the bag(s) in the rubbish but maybe the corpses would be of some use on the compost heap? I had been intending to use nematodes for slugs this year but the instructions say that you have to keep your soil moist and obviously that was impossible given the drought and the hosepipe ban. I have tried every other method for snails and this does keep the population down to a manageable level. But I still find it impossible to grow certain plants, e.g. delphiniums and chocolate cosmos. And I must confess that I do put slug pellets around my heleniums. This said, the slug and snail problem was not nearly as bad as usual this year, on account of the drought. For next year I was wondering: is there any reliable method of finding the eggs (they lay eggs, don't they?) in early spring and disposing of those?

i'm really into killing them at all, there are ways of controlling what the snails can get to, initially more work, but i think it helps in the long run and it leaves me with a clear conscious.

Hi Andrew
A few times I have discovered snails laying eggs, usually on a warm day; I see a snail sitting on the soil and I think, hey, wots that snail doing out in the sun ? Then I pick it up to discover that it has pushed a "part" into the soil and is laying eggs, which are white and a bit translucent. I dig them up and leave them in the sun to dry out.

One word: Corry's. My mum used it for years; I have used it for years because it works. And, I have sweet peas to protect. If the snails wish to hang out in my garden, I recommend the nasturtium patch.

Beer traps can be OK for all other species if shallow and some way of getting out can be offered to other creatures. Putting a few twigs in each pot is supposed to allow that.

But placing them in suitable areas is a difficult choice as slugs and snails tend to follow each other's trails to save energy and produce less slime.

But putting the traps in places near the edge of the garden may attract slugs from neighbouring gardens. Or is it the other way around? Or do you keep the pots near the soft slush they feed on.

They home in on stuff that tends to get mold problems. So keep them in good health. Use bran to give slugs and snails a more acceptable alternative and remember they are not all pests.

How about encouraging songbirds?

Why on earth do people grow hostas?

I am a pragmatist when it comes to slugs and snails. I have a pond seething with frogs and a garden full of snails. If I find them I stamp on them but basically if they can get past my foot they are welcome to eat whatever they like if it's an ornamental. (I've given up on hostas and I put collars round clematis shoots) However, on the allotment the only way to grow a lettuce is to use a tiny quantity of slug pellets well concealed under a pot. Otherwise every seedling will be devoured in a single night.I have tried traps, egg shells, coffee, grit and every other recommendation but in a damp climate on heavy soil they just don't work. I don't mind the odd nibbled leaf but repeated total destruction of an entire crop gets annoying. Runner bean plants are another snail draw but they can be protected by collars made from plastic bottles. One problem is that many people do not realise that you only need a very small number of pellets, say 10 per station and each station a metre apart down the row, to do the job. A thick blue mulch like you sometimes see is totally unnecessary.

Thank you, flora uk! A pencil-thin line of slug and snail bait, or a few pellets as you pointed out, are definitely in order and okay for some plants. They would devour every one of my sweet peas if they could; and I have no frogs or other predators in my garden. I wish I did.

They are welcome to the nasturtiums. I don't kill every snail I see; but they are NOT ALLOWED in my sweet pea garden!

I've tried everything with snails and slugs and I've given up trying anything now but I do collect them of an evening and sling them all into the middle of the lawn (you do need a lawn for this). I know they make their own way back but I started to notice lots of empty snail shells on the lawn last summer so I can only assume that the thrushes and blackbirds devoured the snails before they got to 'home'. By the way out of interest did you know that snails can live up to 12 years which is surprising considering how many of us try to get rid of them.

Here's a snippet from my Blog entry Bugged by Bugs ? Pestered by Pests?..

Guess the writer of post would of made the decision to walk round with a bucket or use the garden centre treatment - this entry is for everyone elses benefit who find themselves bugged. Thanks to Chrissie fo the interesting fact that snails live up to 12 years! I never knew that.

"SLUGS & SNAILS

A well tended garden is the perfect breeding ground for both plants and slugs/snails alike. They love the moist and warm conditions that plants thrive in. They can shred seedlings and leaves overnight causing the gardener must frustration.

Control will slug pellets at 10 day intervals or remove any shelter near your plants (pots etc) where the slug will disappear under during the day"

Here is a link that might be useful: Bugged by Bugs? Pestered by Pests?

I like snails.they're cool. I don't mind em eating my plants cos at the mo i don't have any new plants,kids and dogs put paid to that idea!

greenlarry. love your comment. id made me smile theyre fascinating little creatures and i keep them as pets. x

It has to be as quick as possible, the stamping would be my preferred option.