Common Plant Pests
Slugs/ Snails
Characteristics:
Slugs are mollusks, landlocked relatives of clams, squid, and octopus. They thrive in moist, shady surroundings. Similar to snails, slugs secrete a slimy mucus on which they glide along, leaving telltale silvery trails. They spend daylight hours hiding and come out at night to feed. Slugs can eat 30 to 40 times their weight every day.
Help prevent slugs by removing garden debris (loose boards, old pots). Slugs hide in cool places.
Hand picking can help control slugs. Hunt them at night with a flashlight and drop in soapy water. Hunt for pearl-like egg clusters in the fall to reduce populations.
Remedies:
Centipede
Copper slug barrier
Ground beetle
Rove beetle
Slug traps
Hosts:
Flowers (annuals, perennials)
Hollyhock
Vegetables