16 



MISC. PUBLICATION 62 6, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



SLUGS AND SNAILS 



Garden slugs (fig. 26) and snails 

 (fig. 27) are injurious to flower-garden 

 plants, especially in damp and shady 

 areas. They feed at night, eating 

 large, ragged holes in the leaves (fig. 

 28), and devouring completely young 

 seedlings grown in cold frames or hot- 

 beds. Slugs are soft, slimy creatures, 

 black, gray, or brown, and often spotted 

 with black. They look like snails 

 without shells, and leave a slimy trail 

 wherever they have crawled. Some 

 species are as much as 5 to 6 inches 

 long. During the day they hide under 

 stones, old boards, or other debris, 

 although they venture forth on dark 

 or damp days. 



Treatment. — Distribute, after sun- 

 down, a poisoned bait prepared by 

 mixing about Y\ ounce (4 gm.) of 

 metaldehyde with 8 ounces of wheat 

 bran (or 1 ounce of metaldehyde to 334 

 pounds of bran) and adding enough 

 water to make a mash of such a con- 

 sistency that it will scatter in fine 

 particles but not in lumps. Make up 

 the mash several hours before applying 

 it, so that the bran will take up the 

 poison. 



After eating metaldehyde baits, the 

 slugs become stupefied and finally die. 

 Where vegetation is dense and humidity 

 is high, the affected snails are killed 

 more slowly or they may recover. The 

 following bait containing calcium arse- 

 nate and metaldehyde is then more 

 effective. 



For small For large 



quantities quantities 



Calcium arsenate 1 ounce. 1 pound. 



Metaldehyde }6 ounce. li pound. 



Bran 1 pound. 16 pounds. 



Molasses 2 teaspoonfuls. 1 pint. 



Water 1 pint. 2 gallons. 



In situations where no domestic or 

 farm animals have access to the bait, 

 apply it in piles of about a tablespoonf ul 

 each, spaced about 2 feet apart; 

 otherwise scatter it in the infested 

 area as recommended for applying 

 poisoned-bran bait (p. 2). Unless 

 washed away by watering or rains, it 

 remains effective for some time, and 

 baiting two or three times during the 

 year gives adequate control. Ready- 

 mixed baits containing calcium arsenate 

 and metaldehyde are available on the 

 market. 



Caution. — Since metaldehyde may 

 cause poisoning when taken internally, 

 the containers should be plainly labeled 

 ''poison" and kept out of reach of 

 children and others. 



The poisoned-bran bait recommended 

 for cutworms (p. 2) is also fairly 



Figure 26. 



-Garden 

 size. 



;lugs. Natural 



Figure 27. 



-White-lipped snail. About 

 natural size. 



Figure 28. — Snail injury to tender 

 iris growth. 



