The beans have sprouted! Now what? (SLUGS!)

They're up!

 As reported earlier, I planted my bean seeds well before the recommended "Mother's Day" time frame.

And then, I waited.  Would they sprout quickly?  Slowly?  Ever?  

Had I doomed them to failure?

The first sprouts: seven days after sticking them in the ground

Hello beans!  Welcome to the top side of the garden!

Also visible:  weed sprouts and slug pellets

The same day the beans emerged, so did the slugs.  Ughhhhhhhhhh.

"Remedies" that don't work

There is no science anywhere suggesting that any of the popular "remedies" listed below are effective in killing or deterring slugs.  Yet, people online insist that Mee-maw or their neighbor or even their own gardens depend on some (or all of) them.  

• Diatomaceous earth
• Garlic spray
• Eggshells
• Chickens
• Epsom salt spray
• Coffee grounds
• Irish Spring soap 
• "bait" plants such as comfrey or marigolds
• Black pepper
• Vaseline
• Citrus rinds
• Instant mashed potato flakes
• Cedar shavings
• Neem oil spray
• Human hair, dog hair, cat hair
• Copper pennies
• Coffee spray
• Corn meal
• Dawn dish soap
• Vinegar
• Aluminum (tin) foil
• Wood ash

As far as I can tell, none of this stuff causes actual harm to your garden or your slugs.

"Remedies" that can cause harm

• Salt around the base of your plant
• Salt spray on the leaves of your plant
• Unrinsed seaweed

Very few plants can tolerate proximity to salt.  Dumping salt on your soil, spraying salty vinegar on foliage, or mulching your plants with unrinsed seaweed will almost certainly kill your plants faster than any slug could.  Avoid.

Actual toxins

• Ammonia spray on the plant
• Cocoa bean mulch (toxic to dogs)

These might kill slugs, but they aren't harmless.  Avoid.

A tempting bad idea

• Flame thrower

AI seriously suggested this.  I am certain that a flame thrower/weed burner will kill slugs, but I am also certain that being burnt to a crisp will not benefit your plants.  Avoid.

Slug-eating predators

There are some predators that consider slugs a delicious snack.  Do what you can to encourage these wild friends in your garden!

Birds such as ducks, geese, and kildeer will eat slugs during fall and winter seasons.  Chickens will not eat slugs, but they may eat slug eggs especially in winter.  

Garter snakes, frogs, and ground beetles (Pterostichus melanarius) will feed on slugs and slug eggs.

iNaturalist photo of the common ground beetle (rain beetle)

Although possums and raccoons eat slugs, especially in summer months, these pests are capable of destroying much more in the garden than they protect.  Avoid attracting them. 

Cover traps

A cover trap is something you lay down on the garden soil that provides a cool shady spot for slugs to congregate during daytime.  A short length of board, or a broad leaf from a rhubarb plant is ideal.

Visit your traps in early evening, lift the cover, remove the slugs that have gathered there, and dispose of them as you will.  Slugs don't seem to have a learning curve, and cover traps will keep working for you all summer as long as you remember to keep removing the slugs.

Beer traps

One "home remedy" commonly recommended for combating slugs actually does work!  

Create a beer trap by sinking a beer bottle or can, or a tuna can half-filled with beer, into garden soil near the plants you wish to protect.  The slugs are attracted to the sugar/yeast odor and will tumble into your trap and drown.

For similar reasons, a bread dough slurry made from 1 cup flour, 2 cups water, and a packet of yeast can also be used to bait a trap for slugs.  Be aware that unrisen bread dough can be both attractive and toxic to dogs, so avoid this method if you have a canine garden assistant.

My dog would absolutely make poor choices around a bread dough trap

Slug poison

Old-style metaldehyde-based slug bait is super-effective at killing slugs.  Unfortunately, it is highly attractive and highly toxic to a lot of other creatures, including pets and children.  There is no antidote.  Avoid-avoid-avoid. 

Iron phosphate formulations (usually available as a pellet, and sold under labels marked "pet safe) work slower than metaldehyde, but they do work and they don't harm animals or beneficial soil residents like earthworms.  The pellets will dissolve and need to be re-applied after rainfall or heavy irrigation. 

Go on a slug hunt

A gross, but effective, way to get rid of slugs:  go out in early evening with a flashlight and a bucket of salty water.  

When you find slugs (you will absolutely find slugs!) toss them in the bucket.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  

Resources:

 Community Horticulture Fact Sheet # 92 Slugs 

 https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2053/2012/11/92Slugs.pdf

Hortsense:

https://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/fact-sheet/common-insects-mites-slugs/

Bread dough slug traps:  

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gallery/how-create-slug-trap-using-bread-dough-slurry