In nature, many species of terrestrial mollusks.
But the main enemies of our gardeners – bare slugs. They are in no hurry, as if caring for the plant, cover it moisturizing mucus, tear off the soft succulent tissues, reducing the yield and decreasing its quality.

Slugs can be called a “burglar”, as they prefer to operate quietly in the dark. From his hiding out in the “robbery” in 21 hours and hide after 2 h at night. Therefore, seeing a hole in the leaves, holes in the fruit, gardeners often think that this “job” caterpillars. Since slugs scrape a meal with a few thousand teeth are on their language-grader left their damage can be easily recognized. For example, in fruits of tomato and cucumber, forks, cabbage, radishes slugs doing a fossa, expanding in depth, and the leaves are “leaky”, as a rule, in the middle, without affecting the large veins. “Pranks” slugs also easily identified by a silvery strip of mucus and a handful of leisurely excrement left on the leaves and fruit.

His invasion of slugs in gardens begin with the spring: the young seedlings, germinating seeds attacked by young snails hatched from eggs. Young animals, despite its small size, surprisingly voracious, can absorb food more than its own weight. If you do not take protective measures, then 2 months pests are ready to breed and lay eggs. And by the fall, especially if the summer is wet, there is the next peak number of slugs.

But the damage to mollusks, not only in that they ruined the harvest of almost all vegetables, except hot pepper. At its leisurely layers of slugs carry infection, and in the digestive tract – spores of phytopathogenic fungi, for example, agents botrytis, which in complete pass through the intestine.

Fight with clams began long ago. Even in 1910, the future famous scientist NI Vavilov, preparing his thesis, thoroughly examined the “habits” bare slugs. Many of its recommendations are not obsolete today. Recall: some of them.

Do not create “comfortable” environment for slugs on the site, remove all remnants of the harvest, which can become food for the slugs (especially during their breeding). In addition, under the plant residues slugs easily tolerate adverse conditions (drought, low frost).

Do not forget about weeding. In the weeds, especially around the greenhouses and hotbeds, slugs without significant losses tolerate heat, bright sun.

But several modern protective measures against slugs.

To eradicate weeds treat plot herbicide (Hurricane Forte, Glifos). Too wet or located in depressions sites spend reclamation: in the perimeter of the site, dig a ditch width and depth of the bayonet spade, make a drainage wells (sodding pits depth of 60 cm, 40 cm diameter), fill them with a mixture of gravel or crushed rock with coarse sand.

Fertilized with organic vegetable beds – an ideal place for dwelling slugs. And in wet years in the fertile area slippery pests nothing prevents to be complete masters. To reduce crop damage to a minimum, the garden beds with pieces of plastic or metal sheets, Pitch traps. Seedlings, especially cabbage, are planted at an earlier date: strengthened and rooted seedlings is less affected by slugs. Around the plants do from the ground pins 5 cm: formed in the “saucer” is more convenient to pour water, to make fertilizer, and moisture is distributed on the surface. After irrigation loosen the soil around the plants, sprinkled with ashes. You can protect plants rings, cut from 5-liter plastic bottles from under the water.

Avoid planting thickened vegetable crops: the spacious cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, the less chance of stagnation of air, and the appearance of dampness.

Get help frogs and toads, which are readily eaten by slugs. In order to attract “kvakushek” to plot arrange low, up to 3-4 cm, water containers between landings or near the beds.

For the destruction of snails and slugs in the world, more than 100 years, used the drug Metaldehyde. It decomposes in soil to carbon dioxide and water, safe for earthworms and beneficial insects, and blue granules repels birds.

On the basis of the substance created tools specifically designed for amateur gardeners, for example, storm. His pellets do not fall on the plants, but simply creates a protective barrier from the shellfish. Slugs trying to “break through the defense and crawling on the granules Thunderstorms, burn cancer, emit vital to them mucus. As a result, pests can not move, eat the plants and quickly die.

To process more at dusk, before the slugs begin to emerge from their shelters. In the spring, when the pests are only beginning to be active, granules of the drug in the first place, Lay in wet shady places where slugs are going, hiding from the drought. Then sprinkle them around plants or between rows. Lure of the drug involves shellfish, and they find it. So I do not advise laying pellets in groups, it is better to distribute evenly and gradually, so able to process a large area. Granules do not get musty, retaining its activity and in humid weather. Even two weeks of rain it does not hurt.

In the second half of summer (late July-early August) should once again make a drug to kill the slugs before the start of oviposition. This preventative treatment helps to significantly reduce the number of slugs in the next season, and, thus, protects the young seedlings in the spring. And another suggestion: that the young slugs do not damage the lettuce or sprouts carrots make drug storm simultaneously with sowing.