There are several ways to keep snails out of your outdoor space. However, most gardening enthusiasts prefer a snail trap as it avoids the use of pesticides that way. So you can grow slug-resistant plants, build a slug trap yourself, or successfully use both methods together. If you want to protect your garden from snails, then read on…
Build a snail trap yourself – when is it necessary and how is it done?
Snails go into the trap
Don’t let the pests eat your garden plants
A beer trap helps against snail infestation
One of the simplest snail traps is the so-called beer trap. This consists of a plastic cup and some beer. The plastic cup or similar container is buried in the ground until the rim is about level with the ground. Then you fill a strong gulp of beer into the mug. This should be checked and emptied the next morning. However, it is important that the snails are really dead. Otherwise they crawl back into the beds. The Beer Trap is one of the most popular snail traps out there and is fairly inexpensive and easy to build. So equipping the vegetable garden several times with this snail trap makes a lot of sense.
What does it actually mean to build a snail trap?
Build a slightly complicated snail trap
The following snail trap requires more manual skills, but an experienced hobby gardener should be able to build it. However, this snail trap is not a short-term solution, but can be used throughout the gardening season. This slug trap is essentially a bait house that offers slug pellets and beer. This is also suitable for those hobby gardeners who actually want to avoid using pesticides because of their pets. To build this slug trap you will need the following materials:
- 2 spruce boards measuring 12×14 cm and 10×14 cm,
- 2 metal strips,
- 1 cut bottle neck,
- 1 piece of foam or a sponge,
- screws
- a planing machine,
- a rasp…
- as well as the tools – slug pellets and beer.
This DIY project is similar to a bird house and should ideally be made of impregnated wood. To avoid an overdose of the poisonous slug pellets, a small hole is dug into the ground. To attract the snails, a beer-soaked sponge is attached to the neck of a bottle. The snails are attracted by the smell of beer and then eat the slug pellets, from which they die. The dead snails should be disposed of regularly.
Attract snails with beer
So you can fight snails in no time
build a snail shell
To build a snail shell you will need:
- 1 large plastic shipping crate (about 30 liters) that has a lid,
- 1 wooden lid measuring 30 x 30 cm with a hole measuring 24 x 24 cm.
You should also have a drill, a hinge and a cutter or saw ready. You may need compost worms. First, some drip holes are drilled in the lid of the plastic box. Then the transport box is closed and turned upside down. The removable lid should be on the floor. A hole measuring 20 x 20 cm is now cut in the floor, which is now a ceiling. Then a lid is made from the 30 x 30 cm board. To do this, a hole measuring 24 x 24 cm must be sawn into the board. We recommend a special saw for this. The wooden lid is attached to the transport box with the hinge. If you want, you can also cover the opening with wood to reinforce the wooden batten inside.
The finished box should be sunk into the floor with the lid level with the floor. It can now be equipped with a bait. This homemade snail trap can also be used for garden waste. In case of frost, this box can be filled with compost.
You can get rid of the snails with a simple snail trap
Prevent snail infestation
Unfortunately, fighting a snail infestation is quite difficult, although a snail trap works very well. But if the neighbor doesn’t follow suit, the snails migrate from the neighboring property overnight. Hobby gardeners with a good relationship with their neighbors should definitely work together. This increases success fairly quickly. It makes sense to go into the garden once a day, preferably in the morning or in the evening, and collect all the snails that can be found there. You can either kill them or, if that seems too cruel, abandon them in the forest. With snail traps, experience shows that beer traps work very well. Again, it is important to get rid of the garden pests quickly. Incidentally, beer traps only work if they are not placed directly next to the food plants. They make more sense on the edges of the beds. If the snails fall into the beer, they usually drown. The dead snails can be buried in the ground.
Prevention is always the best solution
Interesting facts about snail traps
Either pesticides such as slug pellets or so-called snail traps help against snail infestation. Ecologically oriented hobby gardeners are more likely to use snail traps than chemical pesticides. Pet owners also shy away from using slug pellets and therefore prefer nature-friendly slug traps or slug-resistant garden plants. They are effective and easy to build, but require some effort. Nevertheless, they are an effective means of sustainable snail control.
Snails have a very good sense of smell, so a snail trap will attract all snails within a three to four square meter radius. Find out more about the natural enemies of snails and successfully drive away the pests from your garden without chemicals!
Snails are cute, but they can do serious damage to your garden plants
Nature-friendly traps and snail-resistant plants will help you in the fight against garden pests
