Hi,
Probably an old Chestnut but am new to this N.G.
Could someone please advise if hedgehogs should be encouraged or discouraged in the garden.
Also what is the role of the snail and slug ?
Thank you in anticipation,
Happppppppppppppppy Everythings,
LenBo, Weston-SUPER-Mare
We don't have hedgehogs where I am (that I know of) in Houston but I believe they eat bugs mostly. Not sure if they eat plants or not.
The only role that I know of for the slug or snail is to munch on the plants and buds you most like. Sluggo is a good remedy for them, although it may take more than one treatment. Sluggo is also pet friendly.
Personally I would leave the hedgehog alone and kill off the slugs and snails. Unless I heard right and hedgehogs eat those too.
Shell
Definitely encourage them.
Food for the hedgehogs.
Anthony
Yes, if there are no dogs in the garden
To be eaten by thrushes, to be trodden underfoot, to be drowned, to be poisoned if all else fails.
Franz
Frenchmen eat snails. A slug is a naked snail.
Mannnnnnny thanks for your interesting and prompt response.
Thanks a bunch.
However would prefer not to use pellets as I would not wish anything similar to happen to me.
Remember the old West Country (English) saying:-
Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.
Happppppy Everythings,
LenBo
St George wrote ".......Probably an old Chestnut but am new to this N.G. .........."
Which one? You are multiple posting.
Ha-cha-cha-cha.
Definitely encouraged. They have an amazing appetite for garden pests.
To make sure your delphiniums don't gang up on you and take over your property.
To teach humility to gardeners who thought they could follow the Old Testament mandate to "conquer the earth, and subdue it".
Seriously, they eat just about everything, and the more valuable the plant, the more delectable they seem to find it.
Use beer, Budweiser is the best. Yeast water is also supposed to work, but I've had much better luck when I've spent the bucks on Bud. I hate to kill things but figure they die happy; they're drunk, after all, right?
I save some pop cans to distribute 1/4 can of beer about the garden during the gardening year, then drop the entire can (usually with several slugs in the garbage can). Winter time, my chickens take care of them very well, leaving very few behind to invade anything during the growing season. This year, I didn't put anything out for the slugs and saw very few signs of any. Just now, some very little ones are showing up here and there, but sooooo are the chickens!
Glenna
Hand pick the slugs, drop them into a plastic bag, and then put them in the freezer. The next day, pull the bag out and discard. They have a peaceful, frozen death.
Best time for hand-picking -- a rainy morning after the sun's come up. We'll have plenty of those in the coming months.
And all the stuff in the compost heap too. Which is good. They also attract other wildlife - like hedgehogs - which also eat other "baddies".
Whatever turns you on.
That's exactly what a slug is. The only difference between the two is the shell. Whether that qualifies slugs to appear in rec.gardens.EDIBLE is a question I can't answer.
Well... a slug is EDIBLE, and can be found in your garden.
Ray
Recipe for Slug Fritters:
And of course slugs go good with worms:
Hedgehogs do eat snails and slugs then? I wasn't sure. I think I need several in my back yard.
Shell
Thank you; now I know. Please feel free to help yourself.
Goodman"
rec.gardens.EDIBLE is
Sorry. Snails are unclean.
Ray
Hedgehogs should be encouraged as they are the gardeners friend, they eat bugs etc. Snails and slugs I am not so sure of. We encourage and feed hedgehogs, the same as lace wings they do a lot of good in the garden and as much as possible we plant herbs and flowers such as marigolds that discourage insects rather then using insecticides.
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