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.
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!
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.
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.
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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