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Often you can encounter such a problem as slugs in the house. These gastropod land mollusks are capable of destroying domestic plants and transmit infectious diseases. Often they become inhabitants of apartments on the ground floors, houses with high humidity, buildings with cellars, and bathrooms. Ideal for breeding is a warm and moist environment..
Folk methods
You can understand that slugs appeared at home by sticky marks on walls or floors. The first thing to do is to examine the premises, pay special attention to windows, doors, carefully examine the bathroom or kitchen.
It is recommended that holes be closed through which mollusks can enter the house. Then proceed to their destruction. There are many ways to deal with pests. The following folk methods will help get rid of:
- Ammonia or vinegar. Place swabs moistened with these liquids near pest detection sites. The smell will scare away the gastropods.
- Salt, insoluble coffee, mustard powder. Any of the products can be poured on a sheet of paper and placed next to the habitat of the slugs. It is additionally recommended to sprinkle salt along the baseboards, along the windowsills. The rough surface will not allow slugs to crawl through it, it will irritate the body.
- Barriers. The peculiarity of these gastropods is a very tender body. For this reason, they cannot crawl over hard, rough surfaces, such as ash, salt, crushed shells, lime, sawdust, coarse sand, etc. You can sprinkle them along the places of penetration of mollusks. Please note: this way you can protect the plants. Substances sprinkle around each specimen. Loose obstacle should be poured around the plant with a dense ring, without passages or holes.
- Coniferous needles. Shellfish are irritated not only by their sharp surface, but also by a strong aroma.
Important: all of the listed funds will only scare away slugs, but not destroy them. For this, more radical methods are used, for example, chemical preparations.
When processing premises, it is important to consider all safety measures, especially if food products are stored there, preserved or people live. After the procedure, it is imperative to do a through ventilation. People should not be in a treated room for a day. You need to buy not insecticides, but molluscicides – preparations that contain copper sulfate.
Traps and lures
Traps are made in the habitats of pests – an effective means of control to get rid of slugs. Betting them is better in the evening. Examples of manufacturing and principles of operation of traps and baits:
Material | Manufacturing sequence | Operating principle |
Beer |
| The smell of beer attracts slugs. Mollusks crawl on a fragrance, fall into a trap and drown.
From boiling water, gastropods die. |
Grapefruit, orange |
Please note: instead of fruit, you can take juice or compote. The liquid is poured into a container, placed next to the clams. Changes in a couple of days. | The aroma of citrus slugs like. Crawling inside a fruit or a container of juice, they cannot get out. |
Wet rags |
| Mollusks love moist and warm places. |
Fighting slugs in the basement
The radical methods of getting rid of gastropods include sulfur smoke bomb. It is guaranteed to kill not only the gastropods themselves, but also their larvae. Pest control in the cellar with checkers is also a preventative measure. It is important to clearly follow the instructions:
- Remove all food items from the premises, even if they are packed..
- Close all holes carefully so that smoke does not come out.
- Moisten all surfaces with plenty of water. Important: metal objects must be removed. If this is not possible, they must be treated with solid oil or painted to avoid corrosion. Sulfur smoke, reacting with moisture, forms a very harmful acid for the metal.
- Wear gloves, a mask, glasses.
- Install sulfur drafts inside the cellar. The amount depends on the area of the room, 6-8 square meters. m. 4 pieces will be required. Important: checkers should stand on a refractory surface. Often, special stands are sold as a set..
- Set fire to the wick with soft paper. Please note: the optimum indoor temperature is 0 degrees. The warmer, the worse the sulfur will be better absorbed by the surface..
- Close the exit tightly. Smoldering lasts 0.5-1.5 hours. Do not open the basement for three days. Important: it is forbidden to use a checker in residential multi-storey buildings, because the volatile properties of smoke are high. It is able to climb several floors. Private house to be processed.
- Open all windows, doors, ventilate the cellar for a day.
- Collect dead pests, carry out wet cleaning.
For preventive purposes, it is recommended that the following measures be taken that will relieve not only slugs, but also other parasites:
- periodic cleaning of the basement;
- regular drying, airing;
- Before placing the products in the basement, you need to dry them well;
- lime pollination;
- surface treatment with copper sulfate solution.
Can anyone please share effective methods for eliminating slugs in my house? I would like to know about different types of traps, baits, and any folk remedies that have worked well for you. These slimy creatures are causing quite a nuisance and I need to find a solution. Your advice would be greatly appreciated!
There are several effective methods for eliminating slugs in your house. One common method is to use beer traps, where you bury a small container filled with beer in the soil near slug-prone areas. The slugs are attracted to the beer, crawl in, and drown. Another effective trap is using a damp newspaper or cardboard placed in the garden overnight. Slugs will be attracted to the dampness and can be easily disposed of in the morning.
You can also create barriers using copper tape or diatomaceous earth around plants to deter slugs from reaching them. Some natural remedies include sprinkling salt or coffee grounds around plants, as slugs are averse to these substances. Additionally, planting certain herbs like mint or lavender can repel slugs due to their strong scents.
Regularly cleaning up debris, mulch, and overgrown vegetation in your garden can also help reduce slug populations. By combining a few of these methods and consistently monitoring your garden, you can effectively control and eliminate slugs in your house.