Wednesday 4 July 2012

Good weather for snails!

I suspect that a post about snails and their brother slugs are a yearly event! Apologies to all if you've read all this before!
This lovely season of damp misery for humans is causing massive rejoicing in the mollusk world.
They are everywhere and are eating rapidly all the tender young plants I have painstakingly planted.
I have this real problem about killing things. As an enquiring would be Buddhist in the sixties I resolved never to kill anything. My ten years as a vegetarian supported this stance until the house became over run by spiders and less obvious but equally nasty residents.
I used to have a garden bordering a path much used by tourists in the snail season. One wettish day I spent an hour gathering. I picked up about a hundred snails and put them on the road outside....it gave them a sporting chance. If they moved fast they could get back home! That day an earnest little girl found them...she carefully picked them all up and returned them sweetly back to the garden! What could I say!
I have tried all the humane methods like beer induced melting but they just keep coming. A good frost helps but we didn't have one this year!
I am still reluctant to kill anything but as they don't share this opinion, as witness all the plants they have killed I think they are destined to go over the hedge...not into anyone elses garden. That would be very unfair but there is a road immediately outside!
I ask forgiveness Lord.....but I might do it again!
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1 comment:

Ray Barnes said...

Oh wicked wicked Jean. What a thing to do (and how I wish I had a road the other side of my garden).
I have written about my ahem, dislike, of the species previously, but have never witnessed an invasion like this year's one.
Like you, I don't kill things, but just wish there was some way of making them hate their 'home' enough to emigrate.