It’s National Spinach Day and that crop of delicious greens you’ve been nurturing might disappear overnight. The culprit? Likely snails and slugs; they love to eat plants with tender foliage and fruit. Favorites include seedlings and plants with succulent foliage; they seriously damage many vegetable and flowering plants. These mollusks (related to the octopus!) move by gliding along on a muscular “foot.” As they move, the “foot” constantly secretes mucus that helps them move and later dries to form the silvery slime trail.
They’re not only on the ground – they’ll climb trees to feed on foliage and fruit, especially citrus. Learn how to manage these little garden pigs.
Visit our Bugs Page to learn more about managing insect pests.