Daddly Longlegs & Slugs

[gma]

OK, got a garden full of Daddy Longlegs birthing quietly in the lawn and slugs whose babies seem to drop from heaven!

There is nothing and I mean NOTHING in my garden that would interest slugs and I've got no idea what Daddy Longlegs want apart from coming in my house and buzzing maniacally around the room and turning me into an insect killing OCD nutcase.

Question: Do Daddy Longleg nematode water in thingies work and if so when should they be applied?

Question: Any other ways to get rid of aforementioned DLL?

Question: I have a lawn and an apple tree whose fruit is stripped every year and none left on the lawn. What do the slugs want and how can I get rid of them? (Got a pair of hedgehogs living under the barbecue and they don't seem interested!)

HELLLLPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sejintenej]

OK, got a garden full of Daddy Longlegs birthing quietly in the lawn and slugs whose babies seem to drop from heaven!

There is nothing and I mean NOTHING in my garden that would interest slugs and I've got no idea what Daddy Longlegs want apart from coming in my house and buzzing maniacally around the room and turning me into an insect killing OCD nutcase.

Question: Do Daddy Longleg nematode water in thingies work and if so when should they be applied?

Question: Any other ways to get rid of aforementioned DLL?

Question: I have a lawn and an apple tree whose fruit is stripped every year and none left on the lawn. What do the slugs want and how can I get rid of them? (Got a pair of hedgehogs living under the barbecue and they don't seem interested!)

HELLLLPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!

For a start, Gerrie, I strongly suspect that stripped apple trees have nothing to do with "normal" slugs (dyslexic ones perhaps)

Apple trees will fertilise every flower that the bees and other insects care to visit. There will be more small apples than the tree can bring to full fruition so you should in theory thin them out. If you don't then in late June a lot will drop; that is natural. Apples are subject to all sortsa of "bugs" many of which you can spray against but that is not organic (I use a copper Bordeaux spray which I think is allowed). of course the birds will be interested but when they get on the ground then the snails, slugs and and other nasties will be at them. I haven't used the "natural" pest insects but I understand that some old beer from the pub in a saucer is a good anesthetic prior to a swift mashing.

Daddy Long Legs; the only one I know about (I had forgotten) was an old French crooner who was fancied by some young school girl (Leslie Caron) who called him Daddy Long Legs because that was all she saw of him. Lucky man.

[blondie95]

to combat slugs either a bowel of beer where they all go in and drown/get sozzled or bran makes them explode

[Great Plum]

We use beer to get rid of slugs... Tesco value bitter seems to do the trick!

[Mid A 15]

Angela (Munch) knows about garden matters.

Where is she by the way? She hasn't posted for a while.

Come to that nor has cj is junior due?

[J.R.]

DDL's lay their eggs in the lawn. They pupate as 'leatherjacket'. If you can attract birds, especially starlings onto the lawn, (bread helps), they adore picking out the leatherjackets.

Works well here !

[englishangel]

I thought DDLs came out in September/October but hey, I am not a gardener. They used to be the creaatures of my daughter's paranoia (sp) one came in one door and she was out the other, shrieking. She has got over it now, fortunately, as they could pop up anywhere.

Slugs are my pet hate but I don't need to shriek and run as they move slowly. I always advise beer, or cider, or a nice single malt Scotch, then who the h*ll cares?

[sejintenej]

Slugs are my pet hate but I don't need to shriek and run as they move slowly. I always advise beer, or cider, or a nice single malt Scotch, then who the h*ll cares?

The malt for you I hope; nothing better than some old mild for the slugs

[Wuppertal]

Some people I know use shovels/spades and go on a violent but satisfying rampage round the garden hitting the slugs. But I can't bring myself to do that, too gory...I can't even swat a fly or wasp - not very nice creatures but I don't like all the guts spewing out! Slug pellets are an option but then there's the chance that birds might get them and it could get into the food cycle which wouldn't be good. Personally I usually just pick them up and move them or throw them into the undergrowth somewhere.

[midget]

We get more snails than slugs--very satisfying to go round the garden with an old trowel and bucket, then heave them all out into the road to play with the traffic!

[blondie95]

Slug pellets are an option b.

but not very green and friendly-i have been told their is an organic slug killer availible on the interent

[gma]

Tried beer, started with Tesco's and then have worked my way through now to Worthington's White Shield and they're having none of it! There are no apples on the lawn from last year, even trimmed off the blossom this spring to stop apples and already am finding the nasty little sticky sluggy beggars working their way up on to the patio! I swear to you there's nothing in my garden except lawn for parties!- No flowers they'll want - nothing!!

Ref DDLs - me too managed the running shrieking thing and now just use industrial strength hair spray which make sthem drop to the floor and I can 'dustbuster' them up! Tried digging up the yellowy grass patches in the lawn and the DDLs just downsize, move house and start again!! Can't find anything to kill JRs precisely named leatherjackets in the grass before they start swarming but someone told me about nematodes? Annoying thing is, English angel is right but DDLs seem to give houseroom to mozzies in Spring and early Summer and the preponderance of them lets me know what I'm in for in September!

[sejintenej]

We get more snails than slugs--very satisfying to go round the garden with an old trowel and bucket, then heave them all out into the road to play with the traffic!

Satisfying but "tests have shown" that snails and slugs can find their way back from a considerable distance. Better transport them to the other side of town, to the loo before a flush or something equally terminal

[Ajarn Philip]

Can't find anything to kill JRs... and the preponderance of them lets me know what I'm in for in September!

Yes, they can be a flippin' irritation sometimes!

(Where's me coat?)

[gma]

Bad Boy - See 'Eats, shoots and leaves' !!!!