Easy Peesy Snail Traps
Yesterday it rained a bit in New South Wales. Thankfully, it did not rain as much in Sydney as it did in the Northern Rivers area, check out (Flooding in the Northern Rivers). However, rain is a double edged sword for us gardening types. The pro’s are that we get a day off watering the plants and we get to capture some rainwater. The cons are the critters that surface during rain, most notably the snails and slugs of the world.
Snails are one of the many not so friendly visitors to the garden. If left alone they will destroy an otherwise healthy harvest. So yesterday during the rain I decided to build some defences the easy peesy way. The steps and requirements are below.
The Weapons of Snail Destruction
Like the ingredients in the Weapons of Maggot Destruction the requirements for snail traps are quite humble and common place. All that is needed is a beer and a liquid proof container. In my case I used and used aluminium drip tray and a bottle of Hahn Premium Light (not pictured).
How it Works
The trap works by luring the snails to the beer. The snail then drinks, gets drunk, and drowns. Simple as that.
Process
- Dig the container into the ground a little. This means the snails are more likely to travel into the trap as they are not climbing materials they may otherwise avoid. Do not get too pendantic about having the trap 100% level, its not a beauty statement after all.
- Bait the trap by pouring in your chosen beer. Do not waste a premium ale here, a standard cheap variety is just as effective for snails. Simply fill the container two thirds full with your chosen amber liquid.
- Walk away and check it the next day. Fish out the dead snails and walk away again. When the beer finally evaporates simply sacrifice another bottle of beer and its away again
I love this trap as it is simple, effective and cheaper than using a commercial snail repellent solution. It is also better for the environment.
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January 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Some snails and slugs tell me they prefer Guinness but they get the ol’ cheap VB…hey,if it’s good enough for Warnie, Boonie and Botham….
Just found your site from Aussie Bloggers Forum, looks great
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January 6th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hey, thanks for the reminder of this simple way to get rid of the snails and slugs. I hope I remember by Spring
Just surfing through Entrecard…
January 6th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I can remember fond memories of my father leaving dishes of beer in the vegie patch for the snails as a child. Home brew was the recipe & it did the trick! We often found empty snail shells in close vacinity yet it never scared off any new victims! I also have heard about using crushed up eggshells as the snails refuse to crawl over them being sharp & dry. Perhaps this was the idea used when Daddy threw container fulls of Peanut shells around the base of plants? Admittedly I do remember he would say it was awesome mulch for the small trees along with the Banana skins. It definately was an interesting way to mulch!
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January 7th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Who’s isn’t going to like beer? Even snails enjoy a good brew.
Great blog!
January 7th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Hey Shadow,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog. It obviously led me to your site and I’m glad. That snail trap looks like a real winner and could be fun too. It’s winter time here but I’ll be looking to do something about my bothersome snails during the planting season. Do they really get drunk and die? I’m not a big fan of pesticides so this is right down my alley. Should I use some Fosters to bait the trap. I’ve heard from Aussies that Fosters isn’t really beer! It’s just for export. Maybe I’ll use some Budweiser. Bud gives me the runs. I see you guys got some rain down under. Cyclones and everything. Stay dry! Wow. I like your site so I’ll be back to visit. Take care,
Intrepid
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January 7th, 2008 at 5:31 am
This is new to me. Interesting to hear that it actually works as well.
I’ve always heard about throwing your dishwater over the area after the water and soap have finished their duty in washing dishes.
I think this is actually a repellant - if you don’t like the idea of actually drowning the little darlings (slugs & snails both - we have a lot of slugs here in Southern California. the snails are said to be the eating type, from France or something. i guess some of them got loose…).
If I ever need an additional remedy, now I know what to do!
Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
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January 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Ah yes.. the good ol soapy water. Now this I remember is a way to remove bugs like aphids etc from trees & shrubs. I guess it only works for a very short time but if your going to do it on a daily occurance, you can kill 2 birds with the 1 stone! Not only are you watering your plants but also warding off nasties from your plants. I’m not sure if dirty soapy water will do the trick as it may actually attract other nasties (!) however we all like the idea of recycling etc so I guess giving it a whirl won’t hurt.
back in the day i remember many a bucket of instantly made soapy water get poured over the citrus trees etc.
We used the standard washing up detergent (generic for us poor hehe) however I read that soap flakes like Lux Soap Flakes is the perfect solution.
For those of you with children at home, you can make great SLIME with soap flakes by adding dry soap flakes with a little water to make a slimey thick but runny solution for little hands to enjoy! You can add food colourings etc to make it a desired colour instead of the boring old white, however keep in mind that because it IS soap flakes you use, do not allow them to rub their eyes/faces etc & wash off only in water. Child Care Centres worldwide use this as one of their textile experiences & was one of the first things I learnt at TAFE in my Cert III in Child Studies. So again, 2 birds with 1 stone!
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January 8th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
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January 8th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Yeah, I’ve known about snails and beer for a long time. Only thing is, I’m not gonna’ waste a good beer on the suckers. I’m not even gonna’ waste a lousy beer on the suckers. That’s *my* beer, no matter how bad it is!
Though a shaker of salt is fair game…
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January 9th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Mike,
I hear you on the beer, but I see the sacrifice of a cheap beer to keep snails away a small sacrifice to keep the snails away from me crops. As a bonus it is far cheaper than buying the commercial pellets.
Now that gives me a story idea about thrifty ideas. Hmmmm, I will ponder on that over the next day or so now.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:15 am
May 14th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
This is sounds fresh. Wonder if it actually works as well.
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