Just when you think you are done dealing with pests for the year, along come the slugs.
As autumn closes out, those slimy, plant defoliating mollusks have one last parting shot for growers — laying their eggs under anything that can provide good winter cover.
“Most species of slugs lay eggs that overwinter,” according to Jim Dill, pest management specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension. “So if you are out there turning over boards or raking things up you may see a mass of up to 25 round, clear white eggs, each the size of a bird shot.”
Slugs are hermaphrodites meaning both males and females can self-fertilize and produce up to 500 eggs in a season.
That means now is the time to deal with next season’s crop of slugs and their eggs. Left to reproduce you can end up with an army of the slimy pests in your garden. They will feed on new seedlings, eating them down to the ground. They will also climb up plant stems to feed on — and destroy — leaves or ripening fruit and vegetables.
Dill said while the eggs are not large they are easy to spot and even easier to deal with.
“Destroy them,” he said. “All you need to do is just stomp on them and squish them.”
If the thought of squishing slug eggs is a bit much, Dill said simply exposing them to the elements and birds that feed on them will likely have the same destructive results.
Every egg destroyed now, he said, is one less slug set to feed in your garden next year.
Slugs can be prevented from laying eggs near your garden by removing any cover such as leaves, old wood or boards and other detritus. Lack of cover also eliminates tick habitat and by raking your leaves it can help cut down on the number of ticks around your house.
This can cause a bit of a quandary for some, as lawns and other areas covered with leaves can provide good habitat for more beneficial species like frogs, salamanders and earthworms.
Dill said he is not aware of anything beneficial about slugs. Though, they do serve as a food source for the little red bellied snake that is found in Maine and that dines almost exclusively on slugs.
“From that angle they are important,” Dill said. “Other than that, they don’t do much.”
