For years, slugs and snails have been maligned as the arch nemesis of gardeners - munching seedlings, decimating crops and ruining flowers. However, this reputation isn't always wholly deserved, and damage done in gardens is the work of a small percentage of around 150 different species - all of which will be harmed if gardeners reach for the chemicals.
This spring, the Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts have joined forces under the Making Friends with Molluscs campaign, which aims to encourage gardeners to reconsider the role of slugs and snails in their garden's ecosystem.
Helen Bostock, RHS Senior Wildlife Specialist, says: "While a small number of slugs and snails can cause damage to certain plants, overall they bring many benefits to the garden and contribute to a balanced ecosystem, whether that’s by clearing away rotting vegetation or providing a vital food source for more popular garden visitors such as frogs, hedgehogs and song thrushes. We hope that by highlighting the crucial work that molluscs do in our gardens we can help give them a well-deserved reputation makeover."
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Slugs and snails are a key pillar in our ecosystems and with species and biodiversity loss being major concerns around the world, it is important to consider molluscs as part of this wider web and not simply in relation to our human needs.
We spoke to Jon Ablett, Senior Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum, to find out more about these garden visitors and our relationship with them.
"Molluscs are such an amazingly diverse group of animals including sea shells you may find at the beach, the slugs and snails in your garden and the squid and octopus in the ocean. They're found all over the world and in almost every habitat," he says.
"People may be shocked that there are 100 species of snail that live in the UK (and a few more that are only found in greenhouses) as well as 46 species of slug – each of them adapted to a different ecological niche."
He went on to say "Whilst gardeners may think that slugs and snails exist purely to eat their plants they should remember that they are part of our complex ecological community providing food for birds, insects, amphibians and small mammals as well as helping to process the soil and increase the cycling of nutrients. Also, not all species of slug and snail feed on living vegetation with some preferentially eating decaying plant and animal matter and fungi, whilst some are carnivorous feeding on worms or even other slug and snail species."
When it comes to how to garden in harmony with molluscs, Jon believes some level of acceptance is needed.
"I don’t think gardeners can ever get rid of slugs and snails, even the ones that may eat their plants, and I hope after reading this they will feel that they shouldn’t. As an amateur gardener who loves molluscs I have come to terms with the fact that there are plants that I just can’t grow and I am trying to learn what species are less likely to be eaten in my own small garden. Sometimes this means keeping seedlings inside longer, or planting in containers rather than beds or even moving plants to other parts of the garden which are less susceptible to being attacked."
How do gardeners feel about slugs and snails?
Although when looking within the horticulture industry it is easy to see that knowledge around ecosystems and the benefits of molluscs is growing, it is sometimes hard to know if these changes in narrative are reaching home gardeners.
We asked our audience how they feel about slugs and snails, and the results suggest we still have a long way to go before people consider these creatures our friends.
On X (formerly Twitter), 78 per cent of respondents said that they still see slugs and snails as pests, and 72 per cent said they were not ready to start befriending them. On Instagram, the results were a little more mixed with 42 per cent of respondents saying they were ready to be friends with the molluscs in their garden, but 68 per cent still saw them as pests.
Some of our readers said that they loved slugs and snails, with one person saying: "they teach me about balance. They show me what my garden needs." Another commented that: "I know they are there but the birds and other wildlife keep them in check."
However, the overwhelming response from our readers was that molluscs are still the enemy. One person told us: "they've been utter horrors this month, swarming over the daffodils and macerating the flowers." Another said: "they eat everything I plant. I can't keep on top of them!" Plants that respondents had lost to molluscs included strawberries, runner beans and hostas, with people commenting that they were "a massive nuisance" and that they "eat all the nice foliage."
Solutions that people suggested included planting things that are less tempting to slugs and snails and using slug pellets.
It seems we have a long way to go before the reputation of slugs and snails improves among gardeners. No matter how frustrating their munching can be however, gardeners need to start embracing all the creatures in their gardens, and that includes the molluscs.
What you can do to live in harmony with slugs and snails in the garden
The RHS and The Wildlife Trusts have suggested five ways that gardeners can improve their relationship with the molluscs in their gardens:
- Provide shelter: Create habitats for slugs and snails by leaving log piles, mulch, and natural debris in garden areas. These spaces offer shelter and a food source for these creatures, and it may make them less likely to venture out into your vegetable bed.
- Selective planting: Choose plants that are less attractive to slugs and snails or are more resilient to their feeding habits, such as lavender, rosemary, astrantia, hardy geraniums, hellebores and hydrangeas.
- Barriers: Implement barriers – such as copper tape and wool pellets – which may provide some protection for vulnerable plants from slug and snail damage.
- Handpick and monitor: Regularly inspect plants for signs of slug and snail damage, and manually remove any you find, relocating them to your compost heap or areas with less vulnerable plants. Consider evening patrols with a torch, as slugs and snails are most active at night-time.
- Encourage predators: Create a haven for natural predators of slugs and snails, such as ground beetles, song thrushes, frogs, and toads, by providing suitable habitats, such as long grass, log piles and wildlife-friendly ponds. Predators help to naturally regulate slug and snail populations, keeping their numbers in balance.
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