‘Super-sized sleepless slugs’ on the march

Alarming media reports of a new generation of ‘sleepless’ slugs predict a 10% increase in slug populations this summer.

‘Sleepless’, it turns out, doesn’t actually mean that the slugs are feeding 24/7, but that they didn’t hibernate. Last year’s wet summer, followed by the mild winter, meant that they continued to breed through the winter months.

Conservation charity Buglife is warning that this could spell trouble for gardeners this season. Chief Executive Matt Shardlow says, “Due to climate shifts, warmer winters and wetter summers, we’re seeing slugs become active all year round. Whereas key predators like amphibians will only lay their eggs once a year, slugs are not so restricted. Coupled with the fact that general slug varieties are also reaching full size earlier than ever, gardeners are simply not getting any respite and need innovative management solutions.”

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Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.