Neat discovery, Carrie.

I'm amazed that you still have slugs. I only have them in spring when the soil is wet and seedlings are small. I never see slugs or slug damage in summer. I think it's too dry for them to show themselves.

We really, really need a good soaking rain. But it's not looking like that's going to happen any time soon.

Karen

You feel mean??? I feel delighted!!! There's not that many right now - I think they went underground to lay their eggs.

Let me know if you keep catching them. I may have to buy beer next year. :O)

Karen,

I didn't catch ONE slug - only grasshoppers/crickets and sometimes white flies... I didn't know slugs were rampant in the spring - was a little late with the beer containers this year and so while thinking the holes were from slugs, I ended up with containers filled with hoppers, etc.

I did catch two little slugs, though :0)

Carrie

Carrie,

Slugs just like moisture. So during the wet spring months, they can run rampant. But once summer arrives with it's heat, the soil surface dries so slugs stay deep in the soil.

Add to that the fact that we plant small young seedlings in spring. A slug can do extensive damage. But by summer, the rare slugs on the surface finds bigger, mature plants and slugs can't do so much damage then.

In summer, I only see slugs after big rain storms. And we haven't had any rain to speak of in a long time now.

Speaking of rain, I hope you and all our friends near the east coast are safe from Hurricane Earl.

Karen

Were the hoppers that you caught dead or alive? I'm trying to collect some live ones for an experiment & have pretty limited experience with insects...your post came up with a google search, so I had to ask :) Thanks!!!

Lori - it was last year - I can't remember "dead or alive" but I think they were dead... yep, I think so! I was happy so they must have been dead...

Heh heh -

Now I am in the midst of still dropping japanese beetles into soapy water containers - a gardener's work is never done.

Carrie