Everything interesting about slugs. Types of slugs and how to deal with them The largest slug in the world

Spanish snail, Lusitanian slug, red slug...

This is a relatively new inhabitant of central Russia, which appeared in suburban areas near Moscow only in the last few years. A large, rapidly breeding, omnivorous slug of color options from orange-red to dark brown is perceived by many older summer residents as a kind of mutant of familiar slugs, and talk is usually about environmental degradation and the horrors of the chemical industry, but meanwhile this gastropod is a typical example of the importation of agricultural pest with vegetables and fruits. A foreign invader, so to speak.

Red roadside slug (Arion rufus)
Or perhaps the Lusitanian slug (Arion lusitanicus)

The folk names of this slug - the Spanish snail, the Lusitanian slug, the red slug and other variations on the theme of color and place - apparently go back to the names two species of lung snails from the genus Arion: Arion rufus and Arion lusitanicus. In Russian, these are, respectively, the red roadside slug and the Lusitanian slug. The species are similar to each other, it is hardly possible to determine which one you got among your favorite roses or in a gently cultivated greenhouse. It is definitely possible to exclude the black variation of the slug - Arion ater is an exclusively nocturnal species that is not yet found in our country, and in Northern Europe it is even listed in the Red Book (although not as an endangered species).
A large roadside slug also lives in Europe - but this spotted creature, growing up to 20 cm of average length, does not seem to live here either. (Although they write on the Internet that big slugs have taken root well in both Americas ...)

Initially, red slugs lived in the south of Portugal and Spain (on the territory of the ancient Roman province of Lusitania, from which one of the species got its name). Apparently, the main food for these gastropods at first was rotting forest litter, but the development of agriculture provided red slugs with much more satisfying and large "pastures". Climate warming, as well as an increase in agricultural land, trade relations, globalization and other achievements of human civilization contributed to the fact that red slugs, traveling throughout Europe, gradually acquired new habitats - preferring to capture vegetable fields, orchards, as well as planting cereals and various there are vineyards.

Until the first quarter or third of the 20th century, red slugs were considered the scourge of only their original habitats, but in the twentieth century, slugs captured almost all of Europe, after which they moved east, that is, towards us. It should also be noted that until the 1990s, the supply of agricultural products from Europe to Russia was simply not carried out, European fruits and vegetables came to us only a couple of decades ago. Along with them, apparently, came the red slugs, which by that time in Europe had already been recognized as catastrophic pests.

Welcome foreign invaders...

What provoked the rapid growth in the number of slugs and their rapid spread over such a large area? A couple of Internet publications evasively talk about the absence of natural enemies in slugs, which leads to an uncontrolled increase in their numbers. But there is obvious cunning in this kind of approach - slugs that have abandoned their protective shell are, in fact, simple and affordable food for a huge number of carnivores. First of all, slugs are prey for hedgehogs, moles and shrews. A hungry rat does not disdain a slug. Many amphibians like frogs, toads, salamanders are also willing to eat slugs. Slugs are included in the diet of lizards and snakes. And there are also birds: large passerines, most ravens, many waterfowl are ready to eat gastropods.

Red roadside slug at the edge of the forest
(near the reclamation ditch)

Even if all these enemies are not ready to attack an adult red slug, reaching a maximum length of 15 cm, they should have destroyed the vast majority of small gastropods. But that doesn't happen. For a very obvious reason - most of the listed enemies of slugs are enemies of agriculture, only larger and more visible, and not only European, but also our Russian farmers have been successfully fighting them for a long time. There are no moles - there are slugs. There are no frogs - there are slugs. There are no birds - there are slugs. Why be surprised?

Droughts in the south of Europe could have been a deterrent to the spread of slugs - slugs do not know how to live in a dry climate and quickly die in the absence of moisture. Land reclamation and the transition of agriculture to technologies that use irrigation contributed to the reproduction and comfortable life of slugs. You can, of course, scribble abstruse articles about the impact on the planet's biosphere of a comet named after an unknown astronomer, but in fact we ourselves have paved convenient travel routes for slugs and organized excellent feeding grounds for them.

In our Russian conditions, winter frost can affect the number of both Lusitanian and red slugs. Adults and small slugs hibernate in the soil, burrowing into it and falling into anabiosis. Our winters cannot be compared with Spanish ones, the soil in the forest can freeze several tens of centimeters deep. The dimensions of the European alien are quite large, it is much more difficult for him to keep all vital systems intact than for our ordinary slugs.

However the main thing for survival is to overwinter the eggs of slugs, and this, as you know, is a completely different matter. Eggs can be stored inside the root plexuses of trees, in earthen minks, and simply in the depths of a pile of leaves. The egg itself is a much more resistant form of life, and one slug can lay up to hundreds of eggs in one clutch. (I don’t know who it was and how it was considered, but the figure wanders from article to article.) How often a slug can lay eggs is unknown, I have not found reliable information. Our gray slugs seem to do this once a year - in the fall, with a lifespan of 1 to 3 years. But again, this is all separate empirical data.

And do not forget that any suburban area will provide slugs with enough secluded places where you can comfortably and calmly wait out the coldest winter. Perhaps that is why flower growers write hysterically about slugs in their blogs, and not pathos-tragically broadcast ministers from the screens of zombies.

Let's take it out, take it out... We'll live on a bare planet.

In the articles of noble agronomists and honored farmers, there would be further discussions about how and what is better to lime the slug. But I will not discuss the issues of mass killing of slugs. I myself am lazy for energetic military measures, and I consider it senseless to fuss for every inch of land free from pests on a scale of six, fifteen, thirty acres. In addition, I do not feel the right to deprive other creatures of life just because I was impatient here and now to admire some vegetation, and they prevented this. As long as we are not talking about cultivating the land for the sake of daily bread, there is no point in fighting what nature itself has come up with. And what chemists and biologists have come up with, let them figure it out themselves.

Estimate the size of the elongated slug
And it's not the largest specimen.

Slugs prevented me from admiring the flower? Well, so be it.
I will admire the amazing creatures that managed to capture Europe.
It turns out they are very, very interesting creatures.

And finally. How long have you seen a hedgehog in your summer cottage? Ah, long time ago. And no hedgehog will make it to your site, because you have a reliable fence, under which even a mouse will not slip. And how many years, how did you bring out all the moles? Ah, it's been a decade. And you don’t want to see any more such misfortune in yourself. What do you do with a randomly seen toad? Ah, you do the same. Dirty and nasty ... And if a snake? Ah, this is terrible...

Go on, dear summer residents, cleaning up your plots in accordance with your miserable illusions that it is you who decides who will live here. The red slugs are on their way. Get ready to meet uninvited guests. And get ready to give them everything - vegetables from the garden, fruits from the garden, and even flowers from your favorite flower bed. Slugs love everything. Everything will be eaten.
Do you think some cunning poison will help you? Imagine how much of this poison you yourself and your children will eat and inhale. And for a second, think that someone will come after the slugs. After all, someone will come. Necessarily. Are you ready for this meeting?

Photo and text: Lazy Summer Resident, 2014

Slugs. Pests in the garden

Spring has come, and work in the beds has begun to boil with a vengeance, slender green rows of tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables begin to appear. It seemed that here it is a guarantee of the future harvest, pleases the eye and gives hope, but an invisible enemy is waiting for each newly-made plant to ruthlessly deal with it.

It’s good if this fate is bypassed, but more often it turns out that one morning an unsightly picture is revealed, when half of the plants, as it were, were not there. Who is this greedy pest causing huge damage to garden plants?

naked slugs- here he is the scourge of all summer residents and gardeners. They do not choose what to eat, germinating seeds, seedling leaves, strawberries and wild strawberries, root crops can become their meal, they will not disdain ornamental plants. Over 150 species of cultivated plants become food for these voracious creatures. This is a serious enemy, and to fight him you need to know the features of his life and habits.

There are three types of naked slugs: ordinary field, reticulated field and brown arion slug, but the first two are the largest pests of vegetable crops. They have slight differences in appearance, namely color and size.

If the first has a smooth body and a yellow-gray or pink-gray color, then the second has a heterogeneous color, expressed by brown spots and strokes. The length of the body of slugs can reach from 30 to 60 mm, depending on the species.

The peak of activity of this pest is at night, in the middle of the day it can be seen only in cloudy weather. Moist and shady places are most attractive to him, so in the rainy season there are especially many of them, and in hot and dry weather there are practically none.

Young individuals are born en masse at the end of May from eggs laid during the autumn, so they endure the winter in the form of eggs. The period of emergence from eggs is about 14–20 days, and the transformation into a fully mature individual occurs in 60 days. Each adult, and they are known to be hermaphrodites (i.e., bisexual creatures), lays up to 500 eggs per season. Damage to plants is caused by both adults and young individuals, the latter are especially active, during their growth they eat huge amounts of green mass.

Slug Control Efforts, first of all, should be directed to thorough tillage, namely its compaction, drying and breaking up large blocks and lumps, as well as the removal of weeds, because they create comfortable shady conditions for the life of slugs. One of the most effective ways is to create natural barriers around plants from ash, lime, ground hot pepper, tobacco dust.

You can also use mineral fertilizers - superphosphates and potassium salt, but you need to be careful with them and do not forget about the rationing of fertilizers. It is advisable to carry out such treatments in the evenings, when the slugs begin to feed, 2 times with an interval of 40 minutes, since the mucus they produce is a natural defense.

From special means there are traps for slugs- a completely effective way that you can build yourself or use the store option.

Slug traps

Slug traps made by you hands quite an effective way to deal with the enemy, and also economical.

Slugs love damp, dark places and hide under a variety of hiding places. For the purpose of bait, lay out traps - these can be small boards, pieces of roofing material, linoleum, slate, cloth, old rags or other improvised materials in different places near the beds with cultivated plants.

It is desirable that the surface of the soil on the beds be dry, and, on the contrary, thoroughly spill the place under the trap with water, creating abundant moisture, after which put any of the traps on top of the wet place, also sufficiently moistened (moistened with water, beer, kefir). Arrange traps in the evening, in the morning you should check the traps and collect the slugs that have accumulated under them.

You can also lay out large leaves of burdock, cabbage, or other plants. Pests will hide under them

Slugs are attracted to the smell of beer., based on this, you can build a trap. Small but deep containers are filled halfway with beer and dug into the ground, leaving a small indent from the soil surface. Slugs crawl on the smell and fall into a trap from which they can no longer get out, and they die in a heady drink.

Another way to trap with beer- This is a plastic bottle without a cap, into which beer is poured, and the bottle is laid horizontally on the ground and deepened so that the neck is in contact with the soil surface. Pests enter the bottle through the neck.

Kefir is also poured into traps for slugs. Prepared shelters are moistened with kefir, or poured into containers and laid out over the site.

One of the options for traps are also melons and citrus crops.. Cut citrus fruits in half and take out the contents, leaving the whole peel. Make a hole in the half of the peel in the center and lay the peel on the ground with the smooth (outer) side up. Slugs will enter the hole and remain in the "citrus house", after which they will simply be collected. In the same way, you can build traps from the halves of the peel of melons (watermelons, pumpkins, melons).

Sold and slug control chemicals, which are quite effective, but only with direct contact with the pest, and it is recommended to finish spraying before the fruits ripen. Chemical methods of dealing with slugs are recommended if the number of pests is too large.

During maturation, you can try harmless ways, such as spraying with 10% salt raster, ordinary hot water 40-60 degrees or mustard solution, at the rate of 150 g of mustard powder per 10 liters of water. Naturally, processing is carried out in the evening.

Can you apply mechanical way, i.e., simply collect slugs in a bucket and subsequently destroy them.

The complex application of methods for combating slugs will give a good result and protect plants from destruction, especially since some methods are quite simple to perform and do not require additional costs.

Great( 8 ) Badly( 4 )

The slug is one of the worst garden pests, and it can damage up to 150 different types of cultivated plants (like many other pests, for example, (more than 400 species), black weevil (more than 130 plant species). It belongs to terrestrial gastropod molluscs, is a relative snail, but does not have a shell, which was lost as a result of evolutionary development.

Description of the mollusk

adult

The body is strongly elongated, it is one large foot-sole, actually merged with the head. Behind the head there is a mantle - a special plate that covers the anus and genitals of the slug. On the right side there is a pulmonary opening. The size of the mollusk varies depending on the species from 30 mm to three decimeters. The color is most often faded, brownish, but there are species painted in bright colors - rich yellow, anthracite, orange-red, red.

Young slugs are very pale, almost transparent, reach a length of 3-5 mm, they hatch from overwintered eggs. The first 2 weeks of life, they are quite safe, because they feed on soil humus. Then they switch to plants, causing them significant harm.

Role of slime

Slugs move by wavy contraction of their soles. To keep their delicate torso from being damaged by friction, they secrete mucus to lubricate and prevent drying out. According to the consistency, it can be two: sticky, thick and watery, it can be transparent or matte white. The mucus of some types of slugs performs a protective function, preventing enemies from eating mollusks, as it has a very unpleasant taste and smell.

The oral apparatus is equipped with a powerful tongue covered with a thousand small cloves - a grater.

reproduction

The breeding season is once a year. Slugs are hermaphrodites (both male and female genital organs are present), in which the sexual secret does not mature simultaneously. First, the sperm matures, and the individual begins to secrete pheromones to attract another individual. After fertilization, the slug lays eggs in the ground. They are quite large, matte white or completely transparent. Their number varies from 30 to 80 pieces.

The development of the egg lasts 3-4 weeks, after which the slugs hatch - tiny, but fully formed. They reach sexual maturity after 2 months. The lifespan of any species is 1-2 years.

Slug varieties

The main pests of cultivated plants are naked slugs. Among them there are a large number of varieties:

1. field. The body is beige without a pattern, often found in meadows and lowlands;
2. reticulate. The body is brown, covered with light and dark spots. Very harmful to vegetables;
   melon. Very prolific, lives in the southern regions, damaging gourds, tomatoes, cabbage and cucumbers;
3. smooth. Small, black or dark chestnut. The most cold-resistant species, most often lives on winter crops;
4. brown arion. The skin is reddish, covered with wrinkles;
5. spotted. Differs in large sizes - up to 12 cm, lives in the southern regions, lives to the north only in heated greenhouses and greenhouses, causing serious harm to vegetables and mushrooms;
6. big blue. Lives in Ukraine, also called Carpathian. The sole is usually dark blue, the color of young individuals is chestnut-olive, adults are painted in rich blue tones.

How plants are harmed

Most often they attack potatoes, lettuce, cauliflower and white cabbage, root crops, leaves and beans, fruits of cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries, grapes, young bushes and seedlings are especially fond of. To a lesser extent, parsley, onion, garlic, strawberry and cucumber leaves are harmed. In addition, winter cereals, in particular rye and wheat, suffer.