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Sat 19 Jul, 2003 09:35 pm
I have a friend who planted potatoes for the first time this year and something is eating at the leaves at night. He says it starts off chewing a little hole and the hole just keeps getting bigger daily. He's not sure what it is and would like to know how to get rid of them. I can't help him since I never planted potatoes and was hoping to get some advice here. Any help would be appreciated.
I have never seen a potato bug. I have seen squash bugs....unfortunately, I thought they were beautiful. They were on my swiss chard...sooooo pictueresque! or maybe they were swiss chard bugs. They looked slightly different than squash bug pictures.
I just told him that I suspected that it may be a worm that only comes out at night and told him to grab a flashlight and go check it out. He says there are a bunch of them so it's a skin colored worm. He's out picking them off now.
Are we dealing with slugs?
That's funny that you said that because he just told me they look like slugs.
He says they are long and slimey. Some are about 2" long, so it sounds like slugs to me.
He says they are all over his yard, especially where his violets are.
One method that I have had success with (if indeed we are dealing with slugs) is to take a container, like a margarine container or a coffee can, and bury it in the ground so that the open top is now level with the ground. Fill the containers with beer. The slugs are attracted to the beer, they crawl inside and drown. I realize this is a waste of good beer, but sometimes it is necessary to take drastic actions with those insidious creatures. I am not kidding -- this method is highly effective.
LOL, I was just about to tell him that. I never tried it, but I heard it works well. Thanks Gus ;-)
And such a nice end for the slugs, one hopes!
'Tis a win/win.
No problem. I am going to crash because none of the beer in my house was wasted on slugs -- it all went into my system. I will check back and see how this drama unfolds.
He's laughing at us, haha.
LOL! Sweet dreams Gus. My friend thanks you as well ;-)
Of course, in England the beer traps attract unwary, sottish, hedgehogs - who imbibe and pass out, all uncurled up and vulnerable, on the spot, instead of in their dear little nesty things - leading to sad numbers of drunken hedgehogs falling victim to predators, and their own urges.
Every silver lining has a cloud...
Do Americans have hedgehogs?
perhaps the poor squiggles fall victim, instead - or moles...
LOL Deb. The poor things.
yes - it is a sickness - they need hedgehog AA.
Yes indeed, they sure do. I don't think they even realize how fast they can hit rock bottom.
I suppose I will start a topic on my raccoon dramas. But not now, I am awaiting the denouement, such as it is.
But on slugs. Here, we have slugs. Banana slugs. I admit to having none in my yard, on 17th Street yet, but have had one posing on our brick patio at work, on 2nd Street....they are so comely, that they are the school mascot, I think, for UC Santa Cruz. Or maybe not. Gross, of course, but so gross that they move past gross into... slug personae.
We also have a chocolatier here, of some local renown, using as they do belgian chocolate, besides the candies are very good. Alas, they are a block from our office/gallery. A mere half block from the good latte place. But, my point is....they make banana slug chocolates to mail...anywhere. You too can have one, simply send a self addressed...no, no, pm me, and I will see how to get you one from them (as in find the web site).
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