Gardeners beware: slugs returning after dry weather to threaten strawberries

<p>Wetter weather expected to bring surge of slugs out of hiding, just as strawberries experience bumper early crop </p><p>Entomologists in England are expecting a surge in slugs coming out of hiding to munch the nation’s strawberry plants after weeks of sun followed by wetter weather has caused a bumper crop.</p><p>The Royal Horticultural Society is bracing for a surge in inquiries from its 625,000 members, who write in with their garden gripes. Workers at the RHS have also noticed a spate of slugs in the charity’s gardens, including Wisley in Surrey.</p><p>Slugs love a young, vulnerable seedling, so transplant sturdy plantlets grown in pots. These can then be given some protection with cloches.</p><p>The leaf-munching creatures are excellent for compost heaps as they get rid of dead and decaying matter, helping turn your waste into lovely compost. So why not go out with a torch on a mild evening while the weather is damp, and hand pick slugs into a container? These can then be placed either into a compost heap, where they can feast on all your garden waste, or near less vulnerable plants.</p><p>Some gardeners do strategic planting, making sure to put plants slugs find delicious near their favourite plants so these are eaten instead.</p><p>Why not dig a pond to encourage frogs, which will do slug elimination for you without the guilt of setting down poison pellets or drowning them in beer. It’s better for the ecosystem, too.</p><p>Encourage birds with a bird feeder – especially during spring when the young can be fed with a juicy snail.</p><p>Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/02/gardens-slugs-returning-after-dry-weather-threaten-strawberries">Continue reading...</a>