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Snail and slug control
Snails and slugs are a huge problem in my garden By night I spy dozens of them climbing up the walls of my house.It doesn’t help that Buxus hedging is planted very close to the house and I suspect it is within these hedges where the hungry blighters procreate and rest during the day ,well hidden from my eyes and the birds.
I try not to use poisons in the garden for killing bugs but draw a line at slug and snail control.It is all very well to go out in the night with a torch and bucket to pick the offending critters off my favourite Hostas and the like. Indeed it is something I regulary do, but this does not get all the critters.And I hate holey leaves.The wet winter has encouraged a proliferation of these molluscs and this year I have decided to get tough,wipe them out before they get a chance to build up in even greater numbers. I usually use Blitzem but with all the wet weather we have experienced I decided to use the water tolerant slug and snail bait Baysol. Figured it would be a lot more effective under adverse weather. Baysol contains the poison Methiocarb in a bait which is designed to attract snails and slugs, remaining effective for many weeks after application. It is a dermal poison,meaning the poison is absorbed through the skin so care must be used in its application, eg wear protective gloves. But the spin off is only one or two applications are all that should be required through a growing season. Remember that snail and slugs hibernate through hot dry summers, only emerging when the rains come in autumn.
At the local garden centre I was horrified to find that a small packet of Baysol 250gms, retails for $17.00 so decided to purchase a commercial quantity from a Horticultural store.The commercial name of Baysol is Mesurol and I checked to see if the ingredients matched and they did. Five kgs of the product retails for $95.00,a considerable saving but there was a catch. In either to purchase the product I needed to have gone through a safe handling course so my number would have matched the one on the computer. This is all fair enough as Mesurol is clearly a potential health hazard.Even though I have had at least 30 years experience with chemicals and have a healthy respect for them and knowledge of their use and disposal I can see the benefits of a safe handling course. My gripe is why is such a potentially dangerous poison available so freely for the general public when commercial people have to be trained before they can purchase the product.
Another anomaly worries me. On the Mesurol Packet in Bold letters stating Withholding period,nil except where this product comes into contact with edible plant portions when a withholding period of 21 days applies. No mention of this on the Baysol packet.
Do not let me put you off using Baysol. Just be careful. Gloves are essential and use the product sparingly. The taste deterrent Bitrex has been added to deter cats and dogs. But if your dog eats anything and everything then refrain from using any bait poisons in the garden.
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