Abstract
IN the note on the “Eradication of Slugs and Snails” in NATURE of July 16, p. 90, reference is made to many of the accepted methods of dealing with these pests. The trouble with barriers of repellent material is that spreading plants such as violas, certain asters, carnations, etc., are difficult to surround without injurious contact to the foliage, and the slugs live amongst the roots. They appear, moreover, to prefer the flowers and foliage of these plants to the baits variously used, and extensive trials this spring with orange skins, bran, and bran mixed with Paris green were entirely ineffective. Examination after dark showed that each viola plant or carnation had as many as forty or fifty small white slugs feeding on it. As hand-picking was out of the question, a small pot containing a very strong solution of salt and permanganate of potash was carried, and each slug was touched with a knitting needle dipped in this solution. Half an hour spent each evening of one week has almost removed the trouble. I am not sure whether a solution of permanganate of potash without salt would be equally effective, and less harmful to the foliage if it touched it, but a single crystal of this salt will quickly kill a large snail. It is, however, not difficult to avoid damage to the foliage. For small upstanding plants, such as zinnia and dahlia seedlings, a collar of sheet zinc about one inch high is an absolute deterrent, and does not require renewal.
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HALL, A. Eradication of Slugs and Snails. Nature 130, 170 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/130170b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/130170b0
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