Banish Garden Slugs With A Cheap And Easy Beer Trap

When wet, mild summer days roll around, so do garden slugs. These pests love to eat your fruits, veggies, and herbs just as much as you do — and if it's cool and damp outside, chances are those slugs are outside, too. Plump, wiggly slugs may look innocuous, but they can wreak serious havoc on a carefully-curated garden, even causing total crop failure. Happily, y'know what else garden slugs love? Beer. Slugs' idea of a party isn't the alcohol in the beer, however. It's the yeast. Enter: The beer trap. 

Here at Tasting Table, we're all about DIY garden hacks using everyday items we already have around the house. A regular plastic fork can help keep animals away from your vegetable garden – and a can of beer is a successful way to trap and kill garden slugs. To assemble this sudsy diversion, simply crack open a beer can (any type of beer will work here, even the cheapo brands), then firmly plant the can at a short distance near your plants. Bury the can so that just the lip is exposed above the soil. The can should be ¾ full (pour out a splash, or take a big gulp). The crawling slugs will have to stretch to reach the yeasty beer, and they'll drown once they fall into the can. Alternatively, gardeners can also construct a single, larger beer trap by pouring a few inches of beer into a wide-mouthed yogurt or butter container, then burying it to the brim.

According to study by U.K.-based horticulture outlet Garden Organic, the beer can method is most effective at trapping grey field slugs (Deroceras reticulatum) and common garden slugs (Arion distinctus / Arion hortensis), which are two of the most destructive slug species for harming young plants. The leopard slug — a species attracted to decomposing produce, and a helpful agent in breaking down compost piles — was less inclined to taste the beer.

It's effective, affordable, and forgoes the metaldehyde, a common chemical in store-bought slug pellets that's toxic to wildlife. Just be sure to empty and replace the traps every morning. Regular replacement is crucial to the beer trap method's efficacy. For the most proactive approach, begin planting the beer cans in early spring when garden slug eggs (laid by adult slugs during the fall season) hatch. To create the most impactful barrier, place multiple beer cans around the perimeter of your garden spaced roughly four inches apart.

For another simple method of slug control, head out to your garden with a headlamp around two hours after sunset. Slugs eat at night, especially in periods of low wind, mild temperature, and high humidity, leaving ragged holes torn in your veggie leaves and flowers. In the dark, when those snails come out to feed, you can pluck 'em off by hand and drop them into a pail of soapy water.