Slug & Snail Control
Slugs and snails destroy crops and planting, and in commercial settings they are a contamination risk. We control them using methods that are safe around pets, children, hedgehogs and birds.
What's Involved
Survey and species identification
We establish which species are present, where they shelter during the day, and the damp routes they use at night, because control targets the harbourage rather than the plants.
Wildlife-safe treatment
Ferric phosphate based control, which breaks down into iron and phosphate in the soil and is not toxic to hedgehogs, birds or pets, unlike older metaldehyde products now withdrawn in the UK.
Barrier and habitat work
Removing daytime shelter such as dense ground cover, debris and damp boarding, and creating barriers around vulnerable planting or commercial entry points.
Commercial exclusion
For food premises, garden centres and nurseries, sealing the damp entry routes into buildings and storage areas.
Signs You Have a Problem
- Irregular holes in leaves. Ragged holes in the middle of leaves rather than at the edges, particularly on hostas, lettuce, brassicas and young seedlings.
- Silvery slime trails. Dried mucus trails across paths, patios, greenhouse staging and walls, most visible in the morning.
- Seedlings disappearing overnight. Young plants grazed to the stem, with damage appearing between dusk and dawn.
- Snails clustered in sheltered spots. Groups sheltering under pots, behind downpipes, in wall cavities and under decking during dry daytime conditions.
Why Choose Us
Ferric phosphate control that is safe around pets and wildlife
Habitat work so numbers stay down between treatments
Commercial treatment for nurseries and food premises
No withdrawn metaldehyde products
Common Questions
Is slug control safe for hedgehogs and birds?
The ferric phosphate products we use are. Metaldehyde, the older active that posed a risk to wildlife and pets, was withdrawn from UK sale and we do not use it.
Do beer traps and copper tape work?
Both have some effect on a small scale and are worth doing in a domestic garden. Neither is sufficient for a serious infestation or a commercial site, where the population is sustained by surrounding habitat.
When is the worst time of year?
Mild damp spells in spring and autumn, when young planting coincides with ideal conditions. Activity drops in dry summer weather and in hard frost.
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