Slugs and snails appear harmless to most of us, but to farmers and gardeners, these slippery saboteurs can be devastating. The slow moving species often make quick work of vegetation, leaving nothing but perforated foliage and pock marked produce in their wake.
Though the two creatures have slight differences they have the common ability to replicate at an exponential rate, and can destroy entire harvests overnight. Killing these pests seems simple enough, but their insidious nature and unique characteristics complicates things a bit. While there are many ways to eliminate these critters, it is important to choose the right method to suit the size of your infestation.
Slugs are soft bodied, slow moving, worm like creatures with antennae. Snails are much like slugs except for their ability to retract into a hard exterior shell. While some species are carnivorous, eating other slugs or earthworms, they usually feed on leafy plants and soft fruits or vegetables such as callaloo and tomatoes.
Both snails and slugs create mucous from the moisture within their bodies. This substance protects their soft membranes from damage, and allows them to glide. Since the slime is created from the moisture they absorb, both of these slippery animals tend to thrive in damp soil, making freshly irrigated fields a prime habitat and feasting ground.
Luckily, these slick suckers die on contact with salt. But salt is hazardous to fertile soil, so one must find other methods. Small gardeners often set beer traps by digging holes where they place an open cup or can of beer, with the edge of the container flush with the surface of the ground. The scent of the beer attracts the creatures, and they fall into the liquid and are drowned. Of course, this is not cost or labour effective for large-scale crop farmers.
In large fields, the pesky mollusks reproduce at an alarming rate. They are hermaphrodites – no differentiation between male and female – so each adult will produce between 24 and 30 eggs apiece several times a year. Thus, after one breeding cycle, farmers may face up to thirty times the population they had before. For these situations professional grade slug/snail bait will be needed.
Farmers are advised to carry out constant baiting using an effective mollucide. Agro Grace recommends Deadline M-Ps brand slug bait. Deadline M-Ps fights slug and snail infestations by killing slugs on contact.
Its distinct, blue colour is easily visible against soil and vegetation and allows you to easily keep track of the amount used. The gravel-sized crystals are not easily dissolved by irrigation or rain, and the product is extremely efficient at attracting and eradicating slug infestations.
Deadline M-Ps is available at Agro Grace Stores in Kingston, Mandeville, Montego Bay, Southfield, and Browns Town and their dealers.
