Sleepless slugs munching their way to your garden

Mild winter keeps slimy pests awake and lets them breed more

Gardeners have been warned... the superslug has been breeding all winter and is on its way to attack your bedding plants!

A particularly mild winter and a lack of hard frost has meant slugs have been awake for a longer season than usual and have been able to breed all winter.

The result is a population explosion, according to Wyevale Garden Centres, which has branches in Hythe Road, Willesborough, and Hamstreet.

Experts there say that, as these sleepless slugs are laying between 20 and 100 eggs a time, one cubic metre of garden could contain up to 200 slugs.

Added to this is the fact that the mild weather means there is a better food supply and – with their lack of sleep allowing them to eat even more – they are bigger than ever before!

Duncan McLean, buyer for growing media and garden nourish and control at Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “Thanks to another unseasonably wet and mild winter with few hard frosts, our slugs simply haven’t hibernated as they usually do.

“They’re grazing constantly on prematurely budding plants, getting larger and larger in the process – up to 40 times their normal body weight – whilst also having the time to breed more, adding to existing colonies and spelling disaster for our gardens.”

Matt Shardlow, chief executive of wildlife charity Buglife, added: “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 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.

“The impact of super-sized, sleepless slugs could spell devastation for our gardens this summer.”

To stem numbers, gardeners can encourage hedgehogs into their area and use homemade garlic sprays as deterrents.

The green cellar slug, which can grow up to 10 centimetres in length