Every year the little varmints arrive, sliding around looking gross, turning our lush green tree leaves brown and eventually causing them to drop. It starts on our enormous pear, then moves to the cherry, but this year they are also on the plums, quince, and nashi.
Cherry or Pear Slugs are not a welcome guest at our home.
One of the control methods I have read about is dusting them with baking flour (ash and lime can also have similar results).
The kids were armed with 1/2 kilo plain flour and sent to work.
Food fight! Flour throwing is really good fun, especially with a foe that can't defend itself.
Of course the food obsessed little Bowerbird had to try eating some, and there was much coating of clothing in the process. The trees looked rather magical all dusted in white.
The following day there were many dead slugs, although clearly many in the land of the living. Any that were properly coated were dead but this is hard to achieve over such a big area. I would recommend the treatment though, as it is simple and a fun activity for the kids, and the pest have definately been slowed down. These photos were taken just before xmas (when days were blissfully cooler than the current heat wave) and I think a follow up treatment would be beneficial.
Anyone had success in getting rid of Cherry or pear Slugs? - any tips would be warmly welcomed.