Your plants will thank you for using these! (Bio Slug Pellets)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Bio Slug Pellets
Date:	03/07/09 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very effective. Code of conduct to reduce chance of harm to pets.

Disadvantages: If eaten in large quantities can be toxic.

Slugs and snails are the bane of the keen gardener's life. I'm not a mad keen gardener, but since handing my back garden over to my chickens (tip: if you want to get rid of slugs, get chickens; unfortunately the chickens will eat your plants quicker than the slugs!), I wanted to at least have a nice front garden. I invested a small fortune in bedding plants, and have enjoyed watching them develop over the last month or so. I have, however, taken steps to reduce the risk of providing a flowery salad bar for the local molluscs!

The past two years wet weather has meant that slugs and snails have had it easy in Britain and have flourished at the expense of garden plants. It's estimated that there are 50 slugs in every square meter of garden, so I knew that, in order to protect my expensive new bedding plants, I'd need to enlist in some 'chemical warfare'.

I am very keen on wildlife and did not want my selfish desire to have a lovely front garden result in annihilation of the local goldfinches and sparrows, so I did a bit of research before selecting my 'weapon of choice'!

It was immediately apparent that the best slug and snail killers contain metaldehyde. This molluscicide is highly toxic to slugs and snails, but is also harmful to wildlife and pets in large enough doses.

Here, however, Bio Slug Pellets appear to offer several advantages over the competition.

The pellets have been designed to be unattractive to birds or pets. The colour, a sickly blue, is reported to put off birds from eating them, whilst the 'bittering agent' deters animals from making a meal of them. The manufacturer claims that the product is safe to use around vegetables; I'd need a bit more convincing about this, before using them with food plants, however.

The makers of the pellets have come up with "The Slug Pellet Code of Conduct" and indeed had approval from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds"; august endorsement, indeed!

The code of conduct advises users on the safe use of the product. Surprisingly, the user is advised to use the minimum amount possible (unusual advice from a manufacturer; they usually want people to use as much as possible) and to spread the pellets evenly about 10-15cm apart. This prevents any animal or bird from gorging on a pile of the pellets and becoming ill. Advice is also given to keep the product away from children and animals.

Reassured, I purchased a 1Kg pack and commenced my killing spree!

The product is supplied in an easy to hold container with quite a clever cap. The cap does not need removal; merely twist it and an opening appears in the side through which the pellets can be distributed. I found this easy to use, and easy to avoid scattering too many at once.

I used the pellets as advised and spread them around my plants and on the bare soil around 10-15cm apart. In this way, a travelling slug will come across a deadly pellet, sooner or later.

The next morning, evidence of the pellets efficacy was everywhere. Heavy slime trails covered the garden (and I must admit some of the plants looked a bit smug!). Several slug corpses were also evident; I removed these to prevent any birds snapping them up and ingesting the poison, although the makers claim that birds would not be poisoned by eating slugs killed by the pellets.

Clearly, the pellets had worked a treat. Over the next few days, less and less evidence was present each morning, showing that the local mollusc population was in serious decline.

The weather was reasonably dry, so the pellets lasted over two weeks; gradually dissolving to the point where they could no longer be seen. Once this stage was reached, I reapplied pellets to the garden in the same way.

Almost two months on, and my garden is looking rosy! There has been very little evidence of slug damage, and less evidence of slug activity. Bio Slug Pellets have certainly done the job, and there's still half a packet left.

In summary then, if you want to give the best protection to your plants, then Bio Slug Pellets are a must. Follow the "Slug Pellet Code of Conduct" and your plants, pets, and the local wildlife should all be healthy. The 1Kg packet costs around £5.00 which for brilliant protection of a whole garden of flowers is, I believe, a bargain.

Summary: A very effective way of controlling slugs and snails.