Ortho Slug B Gon ECO Slug and Snail Bait 500 g

Details

A 500 g container is the size that makes sense for a few raised beds, some planters, or the one corner of the garden the slugs always find. Pellets are scattered on the soil surface where slugs forage at night, which is the only time they are actually feeding — by daylight they are back under the mulch and a spray does nothing. Slugs and snails are molluscs, so insecticides do not touch them and a bait is the standard control. The label will tell you the active ingredient; the "ECO" products in this line are based on an iron compound rather than metaldehyde, and that distinction matters if you have a dog. Metaldehyde baits are seriously toxic to dogs and cats and have caused a lot of emergency vet visits. Iron-based baits are far less hazardous by comparison, though the sensible practice with any bait is still to keep pets away from treated areas. Spread pellets thinly and widely rather than in piles, in the evening, on ground that is damp or about to be. Reapply after heavy rain or at the interval the label allows. Concentrate on the plants actually being chewed — hostas, lettuce, strawberries, seedlings and anything soft and low. Bait works better alongside a little tidying. Slugs shelter through the day under boards, flowerpots, deep mulch and dense ground cover, and moving that harbourage away from vulnerable plants cuts the pressure noticeably. Overwatering in the evening also works against you. Read the label for approved crops, application rate and any pre-harvest interval, and store the container sealed and dry, out of reach of children and pets.