Slugs and snails - Why do they always come back?

Common brown garden snails and other varieties of land snails and slugs are members of the family of mollusks just like giant sea slugs. While snails carry shells coiled on their backs, slugs have no such protection and require moisture to survive. Both snails and slugs are highly destructive garden pests

The Different Types of Snails and Slugs

Snails and slugs are quite common and come in a number of different types.

Land Snails

Land snails are your regular garden raiders. They eat on spinach, lettuce, and cabbage. They produce a good coating of mucus when they slide and so are easily discovered by the trail of secretion they leave behind.

Sea Snails

Sea snails are snails that live underwater. They are can be placed in aquariums where they are useful in keeping the tank and gravel clean. They are not considered garden pests because they graze primarily on algae.

Gray Garden Slug

This slug is the smallest of its kind. It is only one to two inches long. It mostly has a dull gray color coupled with dark spots. It will feed on any plant, living, dead, or decayed.

Spotted Garden Slug

This is other slug variant that can infest your garden. It ca n grow as long as four inches in length. It is also grayish in color but has black spots and can also have faint black stripes.

Banana Slug

The banana slug is found in the Northwest Pacific. It is, by far, the largest slug on earth. It can grow as long as 10 inches and could weigh as much as quarter pound. Its shape and form is the reason why it is called the banana slug.

Sea Slug

Sea slugs live under water. They have a gill behind their hearts. They also have two pairs of tentacles used for feeling and swimming. They come in brilliant colors and for purposes of classification are grouped with sea butterflies and canoe shells.

Habitat and Breeding

Snails and slugs are usually seen in warm and humid places. They hide under dead leaves and flowerpots. You will also see them beneath mulch, boards, and other similar garden debris. During the rainy season they will crawl on to the base of your house's foundation. During dry weather though, they tend to aestivate or hibernate.

Snails and slugs lay eggs during the fall. Some species take as much as a year before they reach full maturity. Snails and slugs are most active at night and in the daytime, they prefer to stay hidden. Slug and snail control has to be implemented during autumn because that's the time an infestation commences.

Continue to: Ideal Tips on Slug and Snail Control and Prevention

Related Articles

Garden pests - How do you deal with them?
Look out! Are aphids hiding around leaves?
Beware! Grasshoppers may wipe your entire garden
Be it berries, roots or barks! Squirrels have to taste everything

Bookmark this Page Email this to your friend Add this page to del.icio.us