Slugs are getting in through a hole in the kitchen floor. I told my parents, but they don't seem too concerned. It was just one maybe every 4 weeks. I went in my kitchen earlier and found four of the slimy things. I am very squeamish and they have caused me to not eat in days. I can't walk through my own home without wearing my ACU boots. Can some one give a way to get rid of them?
By daveslone1929 from Seattle, WA
Plug the hole up with caulk. A small tube of caulk is very inexpensive at many stores. I had ants coming in a small hole in my ceiling and plugged the hole with caulk & am free now. You can fix this yourself today to be slug free forever.
Try putting some salt in the hole. There are several posts on this site about slugs in the house.
Find where they are coming in and foam seal it. You can also lay some rock salt inside the kitchen under the sink. It doesn't melt and they can't cross the barrier.
Just sprinkle some salt around where they are coming in from and around the ouside of the house.
We have slugs come into our kitchen. We just pick them gently up with a tissue and place them back outside. Simple! No need to harm anything and it only will take a few seconds out of your life. The slug has come in due to damp and this is a big mistake on it's part as a lot of people are cruel enough to just kill them. Be a better person and direct to the outside.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How can I get rid of slugs? They come in my living room every night and climb over everything and leave their awful slime. I got one the other night so thought that would be the end of it, but no. There must be loads of them! I need some help on this, the slime is driving me mad.
By Dawn Rose from UK
Find out where they come in then place a thin strip of copper foil tape along the door base or window. The slugs won't crawl over copper. This is great for window boxes! You can find copper tape at plant nurseries or hardware stores.
Slugs don't like to crawl over anything scratchy like sand that cuts. Put some around the outside of the house. You could also glue loose sand over a large cardboard and lay it down at night where the slugs are entering/exiting once you learn that and lift it during the daytime. Good luck!
I would sprinkle salt over doorways and on the carpet and all over. I do that for flea control also in the house, that and vacuuming.
Put out a glass of old beer. Or do you call it ale in the UK? I remember some gardener telling me that that will get rid of them.
Wow! I am so pleased to know that I'm not alone. The post by Stuart on 01/14/09 sounds just like my situation. In fact, I first saw the trails on my carpet two weeks ago and couldn't figure out what was happening. Then last week I caught one and put it outside. I thought that was it. But then, tonight I ended up relocating three more slugs.
Salt! Salt will stop them in their tracks, I put Sea Salt on my porch and anywhere else I see them, they are stopped immediately and die. Doesn't have to be sea salt, it's just easier to see where you've put it.
Hi I don't even know how they are getting inside back kitchen! Looking at drain pipes outside no holes around them, solid concrete floor, no gap under back door now, please how are they getting in, any answers?
I have slugs in my kitchen. I don't just want to kill them - I want to be rid of them. How do I do this? They climb up into my silverware drawer, my cupboard where I keep my pots and pans and now they are bold enough to be on my back door. I live in a very moist area due to the fact that I am near the water, a lot of mold and moisture. How do get rid of these disgusting creatures?
I can't think of any way to get rid of them without killing them. I do know a GREAT way that they can leave you alone, and they won't feel any pain. Set out a pie dish of beer, they'll drink to their hearts delight and die drunk.
lay out some salt like around the area u dont want them. maybe if u know were they are coming from u could lay salt there. it kills them and keeps them out i find.
Try pouring salt where you think they may be entering your home. They will not cross it, as it sucks the moisture from their body. By the way, if you do ever want to be rid of them, you can pour salt on them.
I've heard that slugs carry some of the worst soil born viruses, bacteria, and fungus. I'd put out LOTS of plates of beer, and since salt it is so cheap.
I'd turn over every rock, pot, slab, stepping stone, piece of wood, leaf pile, then look in every single cranny for their houses and babies, THEN , when found, pour a one inch wide ring around their house and YOUR house, to be certain they are kept at bay. I'd make a monthly ritual of this since you live by the water from which they come the most.
Also, I'd sprinkle salt around every single pipe
opening, on the floor of every cabinet/pantry/closet,
AND sprinkle it into the tracks of all doorways, and
keep doing it until the numbers are so small that
they dare not cross the lines. Remember that many
plants don't like salt, so go OUTSIDE the plants/shrubs/tree drip lines with the salt. These things eat plants of MANY kinds, as well, so you'll be doing great warfare by your efforts, the medical reasons being the more important, obviously. Don't let your children play with them. Wash/bleach all dishes and silverware a.s.a.p. and place them in bags temporarily, until you get these things under control! They're nasty, believe me. God be with you. : )
I had this problem when I was replacing some wood rot in my kitchen.
You'll need to reduce moisture conditions (check pipes for leaks and excessive moisture too) as much as possible and invest in a couple of tubes of silicon caulking to seal up any points of entry they might have and replacing anything that has rot in it
The problem with spreading beer out is that it will kill some slugs, you risk attracting roaches and ants in large numbers. Take some salt and mix it in water and lightly spray it in areas where you find the slugs most often and routinely clean with stuff that has bleach in it.
after reading all the other comments a feel a bit better known am not the only one got slugs in my kitchen thank god they are horrible am going to try salt tonight fingers cossed a wont wake up to find more trails
I have slugs every were in my kitchen sun room everywhere. I don't know how 2 get the out of my house I tried 2 put salt every were but still it doesn't work.
You could find them when they come out at night, catch them and relocate them to a forest/park
Put copper tape across the bottom of your doors, outside.They will NOT cross the copper. Hardware stores or Lowes will have some. Since it is a tape, just peel and stick.
I can't tell were they come from what ever I try!
My mission is on.
First attempt-Day one: I am traking the beast by attaching(as gently as possible)a piece of string to it and with piece of white paper at the other end of the string, will see tomorow if I can locate them!
Will let you know...
Meanwile, Tell me why they attracted to my house, the damp? is it a sign that my house structure is geting old? any answer?
Do slugs' slimy trails cause any health problems for humans? They have been coming into my home for a couple of months now. I am at my wits end; I do have a dog as well. Thanks.
By Rita
Recently I've been encountering these creatures in and around my bedroom bin. I could see the trails and it seems like it makes quite a few around to it, but doesn't leave a trail of where it comes and goes. I've chucked them away twice and today there were two of them. They come out snuggishly when it's quiet in the room. Is it my bin, or due to a spillage of beet in my bin?
By Nikesh from London
Well, first we need to know what a bedroom bin is? And why there would be beets in it? If you scatter salt around the wall both inside and out that should take care of it. Hope that helps.
Sandi, a bin is a garbage can, although I surely don't know why there would be beets in it. I suppose it could be some sort of storage place as well, but I doubt it. Anyway, to answer the question regarding slugs, I think a thorough cleaning of the bin and the surrounding area - likely the whole bedroom, would be in order. And are these slugs - which are grey slimy creatures, like snails without a shell, or are they perhaps, maggots, which are small and white, fly larva, that feed on decaying matter, especially decaying meat. I have never heard of slugs in a house, but maggots can be anywhere. But whatever they truly are, clean the room and the bin using lots of soap and hot water!
Please help. A week or 2 ago I woke up to find snail trails on my front room carpet. I have put dishes with salt and beer (Carling), but they just went around the dish. Then I put salt down around the dishes, that didn't work. I have a dog and 2 cats and don't wanna put poison done in case it harms them. I woke up this morning to find it's trail leading to the back of my TV but I've looked everywhere and no sign. I'm getting pretty fed up :-(
By Kerry
Google it. Sometimes you can get answers faster there.
Can you find a way to keep your pets out of the room for a few days while you put out some slug traps? The sticky "mouse traps" would work if you put them around where you see the trails. Kind of gross, but they catch and hold everything that crawls over them. They are not poisonous but stick really well to pet fur!
Just to make people who are not aware of how dangerous slugs are when it comes to your pet dog. It's not just the horrid nasty looking trail it leaves around your house, but they are so dangerous; it can kill your dog.
Slugs, snails and ants will not cross a chalk line so put a chalk line across your doorways, windows and check for any other possible entry holes and chalk them.
Every morning when I get up there are these snot-like trails on my living room carpet. It's easy to wipe off, but I have an eighteen month old grand daughter that plays on that carpet and I am worried that she could catch something from what the snot might leave behind, even when cleaned off. If someone could tell me what to do, for instance is there a spray or something that will deter whatever it is slug or snail, I would be very grateful.
By Stuart .G
You certainly don't want to spray anything because that could be harmful to your granddaughter! Sprinkle a trail of salt outside along the doorways and windows and maybe even along the doorways and windows inside too. The salt will deter them and actually salt will kill them if they come in contact with it because it basically dries them up. And the salt won't harm your precious little one either.
I find that sprinkling salt on the trail makes them take a different route. You have to stop them from the outside so sprinkle some slug killer around the outside of the house.
If the little one gets it in her mouth, she will only do it once. It's nasty tasting. If it gets on your hands, wipe it off with at dry washcloth before washing with soap and water. It's very sticky so you have to be patient.
Lastly, if you want a sure fire way of killing them in your garden, put a pie tin of beer down. They are drawn to it and will drown. Problem solved.
If this was happening outside, I would suspect snails. What could possibly be causing the trails?
Snails like places that are damp and shady. I'd be asking myself if the flooring in my home were too wet or not. In my basement family room, I run a dehumidifier, but an air conditioner would work too.
I think the best way to get rid of insects or animals is to remove their food source or conditions necessary for life.
Good luck
How to I get rid of snails? It's be very much disturbing to have them in my house. They are mainly in the toilets and on the house walls? They are in the kitchen also. I tried many things, but nothing has worked properly? I am really scare about the rainy season as at that time there are more of them. Please help me. I am looking for a good solution.
I live in a ground floor apartment and have a dog, so salt in my carpet is out of the question. I find them in my kitchen and I know they are harmless, just gross. My complex can't figure it out and the bug man can't either. Any suggestions that won't harm my dog? (He's just a puppy.)
By Laura from Charlotte, NC
Pour beer in a bowl. Sit it on the floor and the slugs will crawl in it and drown. Works every time.
From Dale in Houston
A gardening specialist said that altho beer works, it also attracts slugs from a broader area.
There is a slug/snail in my porch. It has been lurking around for a few months, I have tried over and over again to find it, but I can't. Is there anything I can put down to try and get rid of them?
By Shirley J from Scunthorpe
How do I stop snails from getting into my house?
Every morning we are getting up to find slug trails at our fireplace. I have also seen snails there. What do we do too stop this?
By James
I would like to know what can I use to clean my bathroom wall. I'm working and we are a family of 6 so time for is limited and I don't have a lot of energy, as I'm the only woman in the house. The small snails come from the joints between the gaps of the wall and the bath. I tried to close them, but the snails came again. I have a feeling I may need to break the wall and see where they coming from.
By Mavis M.
Put down the hammer and get some foam insulation in a gun. It's called touch and seal and you need a caulking gun but for smaller jobs, you can get the cans with a straw like attachment. Find the hole, seal it and nothing will get in not even air.
If you leak is too hard to get to, you may have to open the back of the wall outside.
Try keeping rock salt which doesn't melt around the affected area. I hope that helps.
I am in a rented property that has a slug problem in the lounge. Will the slugs harm my furniture? I have a leather sofa, wood furniture, and soft furnishings.
By Gail
My answer in my garden was to place saucers or paper plates with beer in it the slugs love beer and it kills them. it is messy but it is fatal.
I live in an upstairs apartment that is kept very cool and dry year round and until last week I've never even seen a roach in my apartment. All of a sudden, I am finding these tiny light pinkish slimy things here and there, and now in my bed. Yuck!
They could be fruit fly larvae or termite eggs. Is it possible a piece of food is stuck some where you can't see?
I have noticed slug trails in my home (dining room) by my patio windows. I can't find where they are coming in.
By Susan
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We have been finding slugs in the sitting room by the settee and by the fire in the morning. We can't find out where they're coming from. We have recently put wooden flooring down. Where could they be coming in from?
