Summer is here, and the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy your beautiful backyard.
And if you take pride in your garden, there is nothing worse than seeing your beautiful plants, leaves or homegrown veggies hole-infested or eaten by garden-munching pests.
Chances are, you could be dealing with the common snail or slug, that often secretes a slimy trail behind, causing havoc by munching on veggie plants.
And while there are several clever ways to deter slugs and snails from your yard, you might want to consider this rather unusual method to trap them. In fact, this popular beverage can be found in many refrigerators.
Now gardeners are being urged to put a small bowl of beer in their yard this summer — and it’s not for drinking! Here’s why.
Banish pests with beer
While we might enjoy an ice-cold, refreshing beer during summer, it turns out that slugs and snails do too!
This is mainly because the strong scent attracts such pests, drawing them closer — thus making beer the ideal trap. Experts advise gardeners to set beer traps in the yard to prevent slugs and snails ruining your plants.
"Slugs are the bane of gardeners' lives after they munch the new growth of precious plants, demolish seedlings overnight and munch irregularly-shaped holes in leaves," states Lucie Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert at Two Wests & Elliott.
"Set up beer traps by burying containers filled with beer in the soil. Slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in, and drown. On sunny days, they seek hiding places from the heat and bright light. Often the only clues to their presence are their silvery trails and plant damage."
A top tip is to bury a small container such as a yoghurt pot or plastic tray into the ground in line with the soil. Then, fill it around three-quarters with beer, and leave it there.
This will lure any slugs and snails to crawl inside (and drink the beer), where you can easily trap them. Just remember to check and empty the container regularly.
And you’ll need to replace the beer (preferably one that you don’t like to drink), to ensure the scent always stays fresh — and more effective. In fact, a bowl of beer is also one of the ways to get rid of fruit flies fast.
Other tips to get rid of slugs and snails
Alternatively, if you don’t want to waste a good beverage, there are other things you can do to prevent slugs and snails from invading your yard.
First, remove any hiding spots that such pests like to live in. "Clear away debris, mulch, and other hiding spots where slugs might take shelter during the day," advises Bradley.
"Or create physical barriers around susceptible plants using materials like copper tape, diatomaceous earth, or eggshells, as slugs are less likely to cross these."
Another method is to encourage natural predators of slugs, such as birds, beetles, or other insects as a natural deterrent.
You can also invest in bird feeders, or even smart bird feeders that can even take photos and videos of the birds at the feeder, like the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro Solar.
And if all else fails, you could also try one of these slug-resistant plants to keep them at bay.
So, if you don’t want your old beer to go to waste, you might want to put it to good use in the garden — and get rid of pests.
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