If you look for them, you will also find the clutches under perennials and bushes.
You will get to know the spots in which slugs prefer to lay their eggs.
It’s quite unusual to find them in open spaces because the eggs would be unprotected.
You can find the yellow and white eggs, which are approximately 0.08 inches (ca. 2 mm) in diameter, underneath concrete slabs and all kind of cavities and hollows.
The Spanish slug has laid eggs under the plate shown in the photo above.
Most of the clutches are made up of many eggs, which stick together – from a few dozen up to 250 pieces in one spot.
It’s also advisable to recycle old mulch material such as bark mulch, and perhaps even replace it because underneath and inside mulch, slugs and snails find good conditions to lay their eggs.
Video: Dealing with Slug Eggs
Set up Live Traps and Collect the First Wave
Since there’s still little greenery in the spring and snails are hungry, this is a good time to catch them.
So, when you see the first snails come out, you can create places where they feel happy.
Then they’ll hide there during the day, and you can collect them easily.
For example, dark and damp shelters such as wooden plates or garden fabric work well.
Alternative baits are cucumber slices, withering lettuce leaves, soaked white bread, and oatmeal.
Kitchen waste is also a good bait for snails, but only use uncooked remains because you want to avoid attracting rats.
Expose the collected slugs at least one kilometer away from your property, if possible, on the other side of a creek or river.
If you use strong attractants, you run the risk of inviting more pests into your garden, so you should abstain not only from beer traps but also from using slug pellets.
Slugs and snails don’t eat everything. Most of them are gourmets.
If you know what they like and dislike, you can take that into account when planning and selecting your plants.
When you choose salad seeds, for example, go for red-leafed varieties that are more slug-resistant than green salads; rocket salad and lamb’s lettuce are also usually spurned.
You’ll find a list of some plants that most slugs and snails dislike here:
The means described above contain some dangers that you should be aware of because what harms slugs and snails can also threaten beneficial animals.
If, in attempting to find slug eggs, you plow the entire garden and the frosts aren’t yet over, you risk harming not only the slugs but all creatures that live in the soil.
These include earthworms and other animals that are necessary for a healthy garden; for example, many insects.
So don’t overdo hacking and raking.
As the above photo of the plate shows, slugs lay their eggs in hidden spots but on top of the ground and not inside.
A Spanish slug laid its eggs under garden fabric.
This means that the ground doesn’t need to be dug over, especially not in places where eggs aren’t to be expected.
In open areas and inside finely structured soils, most slugs and snails will not lay eggs.
However, if the soil is loamy and there are cavities below the surface, snails can hide themselves and their eggs inside the ground.
It makes sense to dig it over at the end of winter.
If you find eggs under stones or wooden debris, there are usually other living beings dwelling there that are useful for garden health.
Try not to harm these beneficial creatures; just quickly remove the eggs and then leave the spot as you found it.
Then you’ll know, for future reference, where slugs and snails like to lay their eggs, and you’ll find them more easily.
Knowing your garden well means that you’ll also know where slugs and snails place their eggs.
Then it becomes easy to prevent slug and snail booms.
When you bring the eggs out into the light, however, you also risk finding clutches of useful slugs and snails.
Unfortunately, you can’t look inside the eggs and see which type of snail they belong to.
They might also be the eggs of garden snails or leopard slugs; these animals would help in the fight against Spanish slugs.
The leopard slug is hunting other snails and slugs.
So, also think about letting the eggs you’ve found hatch in a sheltered place, such as a terrarium.
In years to come, you can plan your search for eggs in the late autumn.
Then you can save yourself a lot of trouble.
Conclusion
Basically, you can try to find snail eggs and nip population booms in the bud.
A spring or autumn cleaning in the garden will bring the eggs into the light, and then birds and other animals will take care of things.
In addition, you can use live traps to attract and catch the first wave of slugs and snails and to safely relocate them.
When planning for the next garden season, you can attempt to select varieties that are less susceptible to slugs and snails.
Thank you for your comment! You are partly right: Not all slugs species hibernate. Nonetheless, some do, for example the Spanish Slug or the Leopard Slug. It also depends on the climate zone they are living in. May you and your garden be happy and healthy, Alex
How can I prevent slugs from climbing out of a drain and up my house wall, they go up to the roof. I don’t know where they go from there
Hi there, thank you for your question.
I would recommend copper tape to stop them. You can find more information here.
Maybe slug repellent paint could help, too.
May you be safe and protected!
My husband has to many plants that slugs are on my back pouch I am forever douging them
“This is also the time when slugs and snails come out of hibernation…”
Slugs don’t hibernate… lol
Thank you for your comment!
You are partly right: Not all slugs species hibernate.
Nonetheless, some do, for example the Spanish Slug or the Leopard Slug.
It also depends on the climate zone they are living in.
May you and your garden be happy and healthy,
Alex