I have found it very useful to set plenty of beer traps to control slugs. I certainly do not like using slug pellets as they are so harmful to the birds and the “pet and bird safe” ones do not work in my garden.

I save all my yogurt pots that have plastic lids that fit on the top of them. I cut little turrets in the top of the pot, making sure that the lid still fits snugly.

Buy some very cheap beer or lager (often as cheap as 88p for 4 cans). Pour about 2.5 cm in the bottom of each yogurt pot.

Dig a hole near your vegetable plants into which the yogurt pot will sit, with just a little bit showing at the top. Slide the yogurt pot in, with the beer in it, and replace the lid. Place quite a few of these little pots around your plot. The lids prevent the rain diluting the beer and the turrets allow the eager slugs to enter as they are attracted to the beer.

Check every day and you will be amazed at the number of slugs that are trapped. Scoop them out and you can even put them on the bird table as they are not poisonous.

Do make sure you replace the beer after a few days as it can get very smelly, particularly if you leave the slugs to disintegrate in the beer. I usually take bucket of used washing up water and an old brush and clean them off and pour more beer in.

It is a cheap and successful way of controlling the slugs and it is safe too.