What eats the leaves of castor bean plants?

What eats the leaves of castor bean plants?

Seems to only happen at night. No bugs seen on the leaves during the day.

I thought these plants were toxic.

Earwigs maybe?

Reply to
Plant Guy
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probably slugs or snails

Reply to
Real Pisser

Do slugs or snails hide completely out of sight (and off any plants they're eating) during the day?

How high up a stem or stalk with a slug or snail go to get to leaves to eat them?

Reply to
Plant Guy

Slugs hide under rocks, pieces of wood or anything else to stay cool and out of the sun all day. Slugs leave slime trails everywhere they go (not sure about snails with shells leaving slime). I have an oak tree in my front yard that I have found the slime trails on at least 6 feet off the ground. I have no idea why they would travel that far up away from the moist ground, but they do it. My wife puts out slug traps with some beer in them; the slugs get attacted by the smell, climb in, get high and drown. What a way to waste beer, but it works for sure. she also buys slome slug bait/poison that is supposed to be safe to birds and mammals (iron sulfate, I think). There is slug bait being sold that is dangerous to dogs and other pets, so be carefull what you buy. The damn slugs eat up all the leave on the nice plants she has growing. They get bigger than 5/8 inch thick and4 or more inches long. The more they eat, the bigger they grow. Ithink the first time we had slugs in the yard years back, they were in some plants we bought at Home Depot or some other supplier. They are disgusting.

Reply to
Real Pisser

Will earwig "destroyer" kill slugs or snails?

Reply to
Plant Guy

don't know that. try a google search

Reply to
Real Pisser

on 8/1/2009 7:07 PM (ET) Plant Guy wrote the following:

The best solution for slugs is a saucer full of beer. They are attracted to the beer and then drown in it.

Reply to
willshak

i never had any luck with the beer method. i guess the slugs up here are teetotalers. i'm trying the iron phosphate stuff now. this summer being like a slug horror movie in the northeast.

Reply to
z

I'm having terrible problems with slugs on my hostas, i've never suffered before. I've been told coarse grit around the base?

Reply to
gunner1971

not too coarse; people recommend diatomaceous earth,. which is pretty fine,. used to be the abrasive in toothpaste, to give you some idea. big grit, the slugs just climb over it. same stuff is good nontoxic bug killer too, apparently; exterminator treated a wasp nest in the eaves by blowing a bunch of diatomaceous earth in the hole. the bugs supposedly just get it all over themselves and just grind themselves up, he said.

Reply to
z

Earwigs are the only bugs that I have noticed daily. It has to be them.....my Caster Bean plants are almost gone.....they are now eating my Sunflowers and Perineal Hibiscus..How do I get rid of them? Thank you

Reply to
Darleen

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