If the summer is humid, slugs often eat the whole garden bare. Slug pellets, on the other hand, can help.
Many hobby gardeners use slug pellets to combat snails and caterpillars in the garden. But be careful: If the drug contains metaldehyde or methiocarb, it can poison children or dogs, cats and rabbits if they try the granules, warn the experts at Stiftung Warentest in the magazine “test” (7/2020 issue). Slug pellets are also a danger to hedgehogs to hedgehogs if they eat the snails that have previously eaten the snail poison.
And the grains themselves are sometimes consumed by animals such as birds, frogs or shrews, which can also die from them.
Metaldehyde destroys the slime-forming cells of the snails. Methiocarb, on the other hand, damages the nervous system of mollusks.
Info
According to the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center, the bitter substances added to the slug pellets do not deter consumption. In addition, the granules would smell sweet, which is particularly interesting for dogs.
Fight snails without chemicals
One is better Product with the active ingredient iron(III) phosphate. This is a natural mineral that does not endanger other animals and breaks down into plant nutrients, advises Stiftung Warentest
Don’t use a beer trap. The snails drown in the drink, but the smell of beer attracts even more mollusks. So you have to reckon with a real plague of snails.
Experts advise the slugs in a special trap from which you can then collect them in the morning and evening and dispose of them in the organic waste bin. The Federal Information Center for Agriculture (BLZ) advises against releasing the slugs elsewhere, as they can also cause considerable damage here and could also cause crop failures for farmers.
On the other hand, you should not dispose of useful snails such as Roman snails. They also cause less damage to your plants.
Recognizing poisoning in dogs and children
If a dog has eaten slug pellets, symptoms such as
- Salivation,
- Vomit,
- muscle cramps,
- Tremble.
The sooner dog owners go to the vet and express their suspicions, the more likely it is that the dog can be helped. Cats can also show the same symptoms after eating slug pellets.
If children or infants accidentally ingested slug pellets, symptoms of poisoning such as
- heavy salivation,
- Nausea,
- Vomit,
In this case, you should definitely contact the poison control center or the emergency services and tell them that your child has ingested the snail poison.
Do not try to use home remedies for poisoning on your pet or child. This can complicate later treatment.
