Gardeners struggling with slugs damaging their plants this May can use a simple household item: beer. May is prime slug season due to mild, damp conditions, making it a peak time for these pests to attack young plants.
Pim Dickson, Senior Horticultural Content Manager at Fothergill's, recommends placing a jar half full of beer buried up to its neck in the ground. Adding a handful of oats can make it even more effective. Slugs are attracted by the yeast and fermented aroma, which resembles rotting plant matter, and they fall into the trap.
Cheap, strong-smelling beers or stouts work best, but non-alcoholic beer is equally effective because the yeast attracts slugs, not the alcohol. The trap should be cleared and refilled every two to three days.
Other methods include collecting slugs after evening rain showers, using half a grapefruit skin propped up on a stone as a trap, and reducing hiding places like old pots and containers. Placing pots on feet improves drainage and reduces slug shelters.
