h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's that time of year again when all the baby slugs start invading my house. My garden is always full of slugs, but in the Autumn, baby slugs slime into my house every night in their hundreds.

They obviously come through the cracks under the doors. Each night I lay down a line of salt at each door to try to prevent their advance (like the victim in a Vitorian vampire movie), however my children and animals spread the salt everywhere and it isn't terribly successful.

The problem is I live in a very old (17th Century) house, with very old, ill-fitting doors, however as it is a listed building and I am also only a tenant in it, I cannot do anything radical like putting on snug-fitting new doors.

Any other suggestions? Does anyone else have this problem? I am also plagued by wasps and flies, do you think my house is cursed?

slug pellets in the flower bed?

Sharp thorns, holly leaves etc in the flower beds.
Stops friendly animals eating the slug pellets

Saucers of beer in the flower beds

I had thought of pellets, but in my back garden (where they come from) there are no flower beds, only lawn and I can't use slug pellets as my cats and tortiose all eat the grass.

(It is a small garden surrounded by high (8 ft.) stone walls, any large slugs found in the garden are thrown over the wall, but it seems to be a prime breeding area for them and there are literally hundrends of them - when I first moved here last year, I initially mistook them for pine needles, there were so many).

I have a vague sense of deja vu...

Do you have a doorstep? I know that old houses lose an inch a year (my 18th century hovel has definitely lost ground) But if you do, wwould it be better to put the salt under the door step, right at the point where the wall of the house touches the ground, right in the corner? The slugs must have to come past that point as they move from horizontal to vertical, but kids, pets, etc are not likelty to stand there...

Just a thought....

Don't you think you could find some slug-eating turtles?

No there is no doorstep, so they slide straight in.

Whilst retreiving a ball from the neighbours wood on the other side of our wall, my sons found masses of baby toads and imported them into the garden in the hope they would eat the slugs. However, there is no sign of them now - perhaps they gorged themselves to death!!

Someone said my relentless plague of slugs/wasps/flies of biblical proportions was because my house was cursed. This initially sound daft, but I am beginning to wonder...

Since I moved here about 15 months ago, EVERYTHING had gone horrendously wrong, my husband left me a year ago - leaving me with huge debts, 4 sons and no money whatsoever (he is currently living abroad). Along with that we have suffered every problem under the son (including serious health problems for both me and my children etc.) There is undoubtedly 'someone else' living in the house with us - my sons became so disturbed by the noises etc that I had a Priest exorcise it 6 months ago.

However, I am beginning to wonder whether there is some dark force within the house that brings disasters on those who live here....and no, before anybody asks I haven't been at the vodka - it is something that other people are even beginning to comment on.

Poor Rainbow!

I had a string of disasters after moving house, and it's hard not to link the two, but that way madness lies...

Slugs and wasps are not my favourite creatures, but as a gardener I find it hard to see them as potentially in league with the dark forces, whatever they may be. We think of (say) ladybirds as good because they eat something we don't like: greenfly. Slugs and wasps are a pest because they have the same basic tastes as us: jams sugar sweets for the wasps, bveg and green shoots for the slugs. In a way, an invasion of ladybirds could be much more sinister...

Don't let the paranoia get to you. Slug invasions can and do happen. Of course I can't comment on the rest of your problems - except to give you a and to sympathise extremely.

Keep the faith Rainbow!

go to Mina's page...I put in a blessing for your home there..try it.If you can't find it leave a message on my page and I'll write it out again. It was under a thread called HERE GOES i think.
Light joss sticks ..it helps.
for flies and wasps hang a vapona fly thingy up..one on the floor might put the slugs off as well....it works for cat fleas...just watch the animals don't go near it.
Tips for protecting the house in the mean time.....Put pebbles from the beach or stones with holes in them on the windowsills. Place a pointed crystal or a stone you've washed in salt water pointing away from the house near your doorsteps. Plant a rowan tree in the front garden.Hang windchimes in the main doorways....Thats all i can think of off the top of my head.
Blessings upon you....think of you and your family surrounded with white light.

I've put it on my page for you under the introduction
TabsX

Before you try out all the magic(Can't believe you did an exorcism) have you tried simply going out and picking up the little slugs? It should reduce the numbers at least.

Rainbow, I am sorry to hear about all the yucky things invading your house and the tough times you have had.

I sympathise with the other presence thing, having stayed in a house that was haunted, admittedly it was only a week, but it has certainly made me accept that strange things do happen and a week was long enough!

On the slug front, I tried the banana thing in the other slug thread, round my hostas. It worked to some extent, but I had to eat a lot of bananas cos only the fresh skins worked. I would try the beer trap, but people keep drinking the stuff before I can get it into the garden. But by all accounts it is very affective. Anywhere near your door you can put one in the ground?

Phsycally removing the slugs is not an option as they are very small and only seem to come out at night. The beer trap is a possiblity, but it will have to be placed where no rain can get in and the animals and children don't disturb it, and also very close to the doors as the slugs obviously have some reason for wanting to come inside - so not as easy as it sounds.

The odd thing about this house is I was supposed to be moving last May (as I can't afford the rent), but everything (including my ex-husband) has conspired against me and my alternative housing keeps falling through so I'm still stuck here, and I've had to sell much of my furniture to pay the bills. I hope to move in the next 3 months, but in the meantime I being over-run with slugs again!!

As far as the house is concerned, I'm not completely mad - infact I'm the only person who will stay in the house alone, EVERYONE else I know is so spooked by it, I have problems finding someone to even come in and feed my cats when I'm not there.

It was me who asked the question about slugs....