Help we have been invaded and over run by slaters. How do you irradicate slaters(the ball insect).Not just in veggie patch but all around the home. Have a dog and 5 children under 10, so needs to be a natural source. Have a 10mx10m vegie patch with a 3 stage compost(uncovered). Have tried some natural sprays, but not much luck. With seedling i even put pvc pipe around them, it helps but they still manage to cause damage. Any ideas would be Greatly appreciated.
22 Jan 11 Kate (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Are you sure they are not earwigs? Whatever they are, your garden is out of balance and just killing them won't fix the underlying problem. You need to plant some native things to attract insect eating birds. I surround my veg garden with a wide variety of native plants and let nature take care of it. It works!
i set traps in the vege garden like a newspaper and they all scater under it then i massicar them bit cruel but im sure your kids will love doing it
i found they were a problem when i didnt have much plants in the garden and there were no food for them to eat
hope this works
O.k this will sound weird but orgainic farming stats say it works!
Collect the caterpillars.... on the full moon burn them and then spread their dead bodies around your problem area... the smell of their dessicrated race will deter them..... cruel yes sorta,but pesticides are worse...
31 Jan 13 Trish (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
My banana capsicum plant is smoothered in fruit but the plant isself looks like its dying. I know its been really hot but we water well every night. The plant looks like its dead when we get home and really only perks up a little by morning. The fruit is still ripening and growing, its just the plant itself. Should we start removing some of the fruit?
Trish, It might help if you have some mulch around your plants to stop them drying out during the day. Water well then use something like newspaper and wood chips to cover the ground round each plant. You will still need to water regularly.
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We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.