Garden slugs create slimy problem across Edmonton - Action News
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EdmontonVideo

Garden slugs create slimy problem across Edmonton

Slugs are showing up in gardens across the city. CBC News gets up close and personal with the grey ghosts of the garden.

A damp, warm summer has turned local gardens into paradise for problematic pests

Edmonton's summer of slugs

8 years ago
Duration 1:38
Grey garden slugs have popped up all over the city in this warm, damp weather.

Helenah Girgis hasa bumper crop in her garden this summer.

The warm and wet weather has created the perfect conditions - for slimy slugs.

"I have been making slug soup and slug skewers, and it has not been fun," Girgis saidwith a laugh.

One of the many slugs crawling through Helenah Girgis's garden. (John Robertson / CBC)

Many gardens are overrun withthe slow-moving creatures.

"We have had showers just about every day," said Jim Hole from Hole's Greenhouse in St. Albert. "They love that, because they don't dehydrate. If you think of a slug, his whole mission in life is to eat, reproduce and not dehydrate."

Helenah Girgis in her garden that has been overslimed by slugs. (John Robertson / CBC)

Lettuce and hostas are popular food forslugs, which can nibblegarden plantsto pieces.

Hole saidplucking slugs by hand is one way to control the population.Gardeners can also tryiron-phosphate pesticides, or cantill the ground to try to keep the eggs from hatching.

Here's some ways to get rid of slugs:

How to deal with garden slugs

8 years ago
Duration 0:50
Slugs are running amok in the warm and wet weather. Here's six ways to get them under control.

Girgis said she'sprepared to try anything, including the beer traps recommended by friends.

Shewants to win her personal war,after losing an early battle after she putabout 200 of them in a garbage can.

"The next day, I came out and they were outside the garbage bin, inside the garbage bin, on the patio, everywhere," said Girgis.

"It was like a horror show!"

Girgis shows off the slugs she had collected from her garden in less then 3 minutes. (John Robertson / CBC)