Snails on my Pole Beans
 

I wish I knew a surefire method to get rid of snails. They are climbing my 10'tall bamboo bean poles and damaging about 3-5 pods a night. I pick the snails off each morning and crush them. Can't use Sluggo or other snail killer as I have cats and dogs in the yard. Also the cats drink the beer in a beer trap. Any suggestions?

MikeInCypress

Here is a product that might do the trick [URL]http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Safe-Snail-2-Pound-4536/dp/B001ACRZFA[/URL]

I laughed when I read the cats drink the beer :)

Have you tried banding the plants or the planter box with copper foil? That's the other option.

I use copper mesh, it works pretty good.

The snail bait I use from Ortho is harmless to pets.
My problem is none of this stuff is holding up to all of the rain we are getting.
And it made my onions hot.

Worth

Ducks. They are the best for snails and slugs.
Sluggo plus isn't bad,it's organic,too.

Copper works. Tape, mesh, sheets cut with tin snips to make a ring. Not tried just a wire ring....should work. I use everything. A bit of DE around the hostas. And beer baits...DIY buried tin cans with the ole fashion can opener. 4 triangle openings pointing out like an awning and buried to that point and covered with a rock. A can with a lid would work but mine are just small bean cans. Water bottles would work the same way with cut 'awnings'. My pups would probably grab those, run, and shake the beer out.
They don't seem to bother the rocks. I was using tuna cans but bean cans hold more.

I have sluggo also. Use that around the beans and salad beds that have copper tape on the top edges of the beds. Tape does not hold that well so a few nails fix that.

I don't have near the army i had a few years ago. I just need to check and toss the beer traps once a week now and the 'awning' method keeps water out.

I get a few tiny ones when i rinse salad....thy float to the top of the water rinse. (yuck)

Made a new style beer version this morning out of plastic peppercorn containers i should photograph but lets see what i catch tonight. I try and be pro-active but just saw some hosta damage. :?:

The problem with most organics is they are toxic if ingested by pets.
If one is said safe around pets but they still get into it...it is no longer around to do its job.
food grade DE is fine ingested but horrible if inhaled and pups noses are always to the ground.

I like the copper tape the best but it just keeps them out of the beds...always seems to be a few inside. So using all tricks keeps my population way down.

[QUOTE=Worth1;561994]The snail bait I use from Ortho is harmless to pets.
My problem is none of this stuff is holding up to all of the rain we are getting.
And it made my onions hot.

Worth[/QUOTE]

Yeah,actually snail bait is either just iron phosphate or iron with spinosad ( the "plus"). Spinosad is in the one month flea preventative for cats and dogs called Comfortis.

Pulverize egg shells and sprinkle them around the base of the olants.