If You Have A Slug Problem, Reconsider Trying This Common Pest Control Trick

Keeping slugs out of your garden is a constant war. These pests eat almost every plant in any stage of growth, and aren't eager to leave your garden, no matter what you try to use to get rid of them. If you're looking to avoid chemicals, there are many tips and tricks on the internet to try. For example, one popular trick claims that citrus peels — especially grapefruit — can keep these pests away. Thanks to an exclusive interview with Dr. Chris Christensen, owner of Truly Nolen Pest Control of Lexington, Kentucky, and a longtime pest industry veteran, Outdoor Guide readers finally get an answer to how well citrus peels work to keep away slugs. 

According to Dr. Christensen, the answer is that grapefruit does not repel them as well as you might hope. Slugs enjoy eating pretty much all organic materials. For them, Grapefruit is just a normal bit of food. At best, the peels might distract them for a little bit, allowing you to pluck them from your garden while they're munching on peels. but it's not an effective deterrent. "Even if they did work, which they do not, using the peels would be an expensive way to repel slugs," says Christensen, "If you see slugs in your plantings, you rush to the grocery store for grapefruit, if they have them. If they do, peel the fruit and spread out the peels. What rate do you use? One peel per square yard or one peel for a whole backyard? It is just not practical!" Of course, there are other benefits to adding these fruit peels to your yard, which is why gardeners should really think twice before throwing out citrus rinds, though don't expect them to keep away slugs.

Since grapefruit peels don't work, you may wonder if other citrus might be more effective. Unfortunately, even if they are different in taste, the chemical makeup that makes them bitter and intolerable to other pests are all the same. "If the citrus oils are repellent, then all citruses should be repellent," Dr. Christensen says, "Citrus oils have some insecticidal value but only as a contact toxicant for insects, not as a repellent. Citrus oil is not a molluscicide or a repellent." In short, It isn't effective at deterring pests. It either kills them on contact, as it does with some insects, or it doesn't do much at all. Slugs, it turns out, actually love munching on grapefruit.

He also has an opinion on another common trend to kill off these annoying garden pests: "Slugs can be attracted to shallow containers filled with beer where they drown. Apparently, they are attracted to the yeasty smell of beer. In my mind, this is a waste of beer." So while beer may actually work to keep your garden slug-free, it may better to enjoy the beer yourself with friends.

Though Dr. Christensen only covered these anecdotal tricks for de-slugging a garden, there are many more out there. For example, a study by the Royal Horticultural Society found that items like bark mulch, horticultural grit, copper tape, and eggshells are all rather useless at keeping away slugs and snails. It's also thought that coffee grounds don't do much to stop them from entering your garden, despite stories to the contrary.

With the grapefruit myth for slug repellent out the window, you might be looking for another way to keep these hungry pests out of your garden. Thankfully, Dr. Chris Christensen also shared with Outdoor Guide a few methods that do work, though his first option may not be an ideal one for everyone: "The most effective way to repel slugs in your yard is to not have any plants in your yard," he says. "A desert landscape, using stones and pebbles can be very attractive while deterring slugs."

Of course, if that doesn't seem like a great option for you, there are alternatives. "To prevent slugs, keep damp piles of leaves and other moist areas that slugs like to use as harborage to a minimum. Clean up your flower beds and you will have fewer slugs. Dry out conditions in your yard and you will have fewer slugs."

While keeping your garden well-maintained does help, it doesn't always completely eradicate the problem. Dr Christensen mentions that sprinkling them directly with common table salt is one of the best options, killing them instantly. Follow any slime trails you find until you come across these annoying creatures or the area they call home. If you don't mind getting a little hands-on, grabbing the slugs directly also helps eliminate the population(wear protective gloves to avoid parasites), and is one gardening task you really can't skip out on after a heavy rain if you want to eliminate the population taking over your yard.