Slug pellets only harm slugs - say pellet manufacturers who are getting together in a bid to address the misconception in the market-place that using slug pellets is a cause for concern.
Pellet manufacturers pbi Home Garden (producers of Bio Slug Mini-Pellets) and Doff Portland (producers of Slugoids mini pellets) have joined forces with Lonza manufacturer of Meta (metaldehyde), the active ingredient used in slug pellets with a mission to dispel unfounded concerns in the market-place that using slug pellets in the garden can cause harm to birds, wildlife and pets. The group is launching a campaign to address this emotive issue by revealing the facts to set the record straight.
Unfortunately there is widespread dissemination of ill-founded information surrounding slug pellets, often from organisations, media, and other authorities, that is fuelling concern unnecessarily, comments Jane Lawler, head of marketing at pbi Home Garden.
The fact is, from the research weve undertaken in the UK and overseas, we can conclude that, used responsibly in accordance with directions on the pack, metaldehyde slug pellets cause no harm to wildlife, pets or the environment, Lawler continues.
Indeed, claims that they can cause harm are often presented as a statement of fact, yet when the journalists, gardening celebrities or organisations making these claims have been asked to produce supporting evidence, no such proof has been forthcoming.
Doff sales and marketing director John Hancock adds: Metaldehyde-based slug pellets are designed to target slugs and snails specifically. Whats more, not only is the proportion of metaldehyde used very small, but the pellets are deliberately made unattractive to all non-target species using elements such as colour blue being unattractive to birds and bittering agents and animal repellents to deter animals. Used properly, Slug pellets are safe in the garden.
A further concern that birds or wildlife could be harmed by eating pellet-affected slugs appears to be equally unfounded. Lonza points out that birds will not generally eat dead slugs, and furthermore highlights an investigation that found that hedgehogs could eat up to 200 slugs that had eaten pellets, in one night, with no ill effects.
Equally, metaldehyde slug pellets will not affect beneficial garden creatures such as earthworms, carabid beetles and amphibians, nor plants or soil. After an active life of some two to three weeks, the pellets disintegrate harmlessly and the metaldehyde breaks down into carbon dioxide and water, leaving no residue in the soil.
Fortunately, it seems that gardeners are voting with their feet a recent MORI poll conducted earlier this year to identify precisely the level of concern found that 77 per cent of British gardeners who actively control slugs in their garden use pellets to do so. But we cant ignore the fact that 53 per cent use pellets reluctantly or as a second option if the first fails, and 15 per cent never use them due to perceived problems to wildlife and its these people we need to reassure and make aware of the facts, Lawler explains.
Ironically, some of the plants that gardeners are happy to enjoy in their gardens could be harmful to animals if eaten amaryllis and daffodil bulbs, angels wings, jessamine berries, oleander, rhododendron, sago palm, and wild cherry and yew foliage for instance yet these are not treated with the suspicion that slug pellets are.
Indeed, according to the Crop Protection Association (CPA), many members of the public would be horrified at the toxicity levels of many household products, and indeed foods. Rhubarb, raspberries, celery, coffee, most alcohols, and poppy seeds none would be cleared as safe under the governments approval scheme without many precautions (such as protective clothing) being required yet we consume them. Two tablespoons of the apparently innocuous salt can be fatal to a small child. Its the dose makes the poison, a CPA spokesperson pointed out.
There are many items, such as washing and cleaning products for instance, that are happily kept and used in the home, yet could be harmful if consumed. What is important is how they are used and stored. Exactly the same applies to slug pellets, Meta sales and marketing director at Lonza, Ernesto Plozza, points out. The inclusion, by the manufacturers, of bittering agents and ingredients to make the products unpalatable helps to deter consumption, and its up to the user to ensure that the products are used appropriately, according to the instructions, and stored safely out of reach of animals and children. Given that they are used responsibly, in line with the directions on the pack, they pose no problem.
NOTE:
1. Metaldehyde slug
pellets should be used according to the
instructions on the pack distributed thinly
and evenly over beds and borders, and not left
in piles or clumps, with any spillages cleared
immediately. They should be stored
responsibly, out of reach of children and
animals. Provided such directions are
followed, there is nothing to suggest that
slug pellets cause harm to wildlife, pets or
the environment. They are as safe - and in our
mind safer - than many other day to day
chemilcal - in house and garden!
2.
Meta® is the registered trademark for
metaldehyde from Lonza Ltd. For further
information see or
www.metaldehyde.com
This is an emotive subject, so we print excerpts from mails received from visitors.
regarding slug pellets there not safe at all my dog ate some on the 23-5-10 within 3 hours i had too have him put too sleep there is no antidote for them, the suppliers should put bigger warnings on these pellets. THANK GOD IT WAS A DOG AND NOT A CHILD
Doff Slug & Snail Killer is a ready-to-use bait to control Slugs and Snails. Ferric phosphate pellets can be applied around edible crops up to the day of harvest and provide long-lasting control in wet weather, up to 10 days.
Suitable for Organic Gardening and endorsed by OF&G Organic Farmers & Growers certification. Children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas.
SlugClear Ultra 685 g are a highly efficient bait that protects edible and decorative plants from slugs and snails in the garden or greenhouse. Lightly sprinkling SlugClear Ultra Pellets on bare soil around your plants will divert slugs and snails away from living plants so they eat a fatal dose of the active ingredient. Contains ferric phosphate. One application lasts up to 10 days outdoors. Use all year round.
Protect Garden Slug Killer effectively controls slugs in your garden. The formula is ideal for use when growing fruit and vegetables, and breaks down naturally into iron and phosphate to enrich the soil around the plants. This product is suitable for organic gardening and provides effective slug control in and around the garden. This 700G Tub has a unique easy dose system and will keep those pesky slugs away from all your edible crops.
Slug Gone natural pure organic wool pellets are manufactured from the fleece of sheep. Wool fibres have very fine scales with small barbs on the tip called cuticle cells. These cause wool fibres to felt and matt together. Wool fibres are very hygroscopic and this plus the sand and grit already in the compound and the potassium salts from the sweat glands of the sheep absorb some of the slime from the slug's foot to cause irritation, resulting in the slug finding easier feeding methods
DIVCHI Beer Slug & Snail Traps Simple To Use No Pellets Safe Around Children And Pets | Vegetable Garden Safe Environmental Snail The most troubling is that pests always eat lots of seedling overnight during planting vegetable and flower, especially snail and limax. This DIVCHI Snail Traps can help you to attract the snails without using any pesticides. Only fill with beer into trap, It will attract them from a 1.5 meter radius and will trap up to 50 slugs and snails at a time. | For best results use more than one trap and deploy traps before planting out.
Organic effective slug control containing ferric phosphate which occurs naturally in the environment. Works by attracting slugs away from the plant. Once ingested, the slugs cease feeding immediately and disappear underground to die. No slimey secretion is left, and there is no need to collect and dispose of dead slugs. Combines reliable efficiency with protection of people, pets and the environment when used as directed. To use, scatter pellets evenly round the base of plants. Rain is not a problem - slugs prefer the pellets wet and the pellets will remain effective.
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