Q&A for How to Get Rid of Snails

The best way to get rid of snails is to keep your garden as clean and free of debris as possible. If you still find snails coming around, try placing a beer trap or putting out some copper tape to deter them.

Coffee grounds may deter some species of slugs but their effectiveness as a deterrence is varied––some gardeners have found that snails and slugs just speed up to get past the grounds quickly. Caffeine sprays have been found to be effective when sprayed on leaves (snails don’t like such leaves)(Nature 2002), so in some cases it may be more effective to use the coffee grounds diluted in water as a spray. Using coffee grounds to deter snails is worth trying but realize it can impact beneficial insects as well, so keep an eye on how it works for your garden. To avoid acidity build-up in the soil, use used coffee grounds (neutral pH) rather than fresh (acidic).

For the trap mentioned in the article above, 1 to 2 cups of water or grape juice would work, depending on the container size used. For another similar trap, using a standard jar, the suggested amount is: two cups of warm water, a packet of dry yeast, and one teaspoonful each of salt and sugar. For more detail on yeast traps, see How to Get Rid of Snails with Yeast .

Whiskey, rancid or otherwise, is not a widely reported snail repellent. However, since your descriptor "rancid" suggests you’re not going to be partaking any further of that particular bottle, why not experiment with it and see what happens? Use the beer trap example but substitute the whiskey for the beer. Just be aware that some gardeners swear the larger adult snails actually enjoy getting drunk, don’t drown but just stagger away to sleep it off and start munching again the next day...

The difficulty with eradicating a snail’s nest is finding it and recognizing it––the eggs are very small, perhaps 3 to 6mm in diameter, depending on the species and snail eggs are usually deposited in a hole about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. If you happen to come across one, you could squash the nest or remove and dispose of it. Or, you could enjoy the snail eggs as “white caviar”, an actual culinary delight in some places. Remember too that most of these eggs will never become snails; other animals, soil disturbances and rain will claim many before they make it to "snailhood."

Unfortunately, many snails have a taste for orchid flowers and even the rest of the plant. When it’s dark, get a flashlight and pluck off the snails you can visibly see; wear gloves if you don’t like the thought of touching them. You can use snail baits at the base of the plant, or in a pot if potted; just be careful if the plants are accessible to pets or children, as baits are toxic if ingested (organic baits are safer). If the plants are potted, try moving them somewhere else. Any of the suggested barriers and traps in the article above will be effective at catching or deterring snails too. Since the problem is likely to be ongoing, stay vigilant and use a variety of methods to ensure greater success.

Plants that may repel snails include various herbs and thorny stemmed plants such as roses. Snails don’t like strongly scented plants, so fragrant herbs fit this criteria perfectly. Herbs that snails don’t like include mint, rosemary, basil, fennel, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley and lavender. This dislike of scent also means various flowers are good repellents, such as peonies, roses and geraniums. Dry grasses and tussocks can make good repellent borders as snails don’t like crossing or eating dry plant material.

Once snails are present in an aquarium, you’ll need to make a concerted effort to remove them or they risk overwhelming the tank. It is important to clean the tank, removing as many snails as possible, cleaning all plants and objects as well, to remove any snails. Fish-safe chemicals can be used against the snails, as well as snail traps and snail predators. For more ideas on ridding your tank of snails, see How to Get Rid of Snails in an Aquarium .

Snails are attracted by many things (hence why they’re such a nuisance). For example, snails are attracted to yeast in foods such as baking yeast, beer and wine; this is why beer or wine traps are effective when dug into the ground, as the snails are attracted by the yeast and fall into the trap and drown. Fruit, such as an orange or melon half, can be used inside a trap, such as being placed inside an upturned flower pot held up slightly by a twig or pebble to allow entrance, then you can pick the snails out. Other attractants that can be used in snail traps include soft oatmeal, cucumber slices, sugar syrup, etc. For more help with attracting snails, see How to Catch Snails .

Put salt on double sided sticky tape. This creates a barrier that they cannot cross.

Try a garlic marinade up in water and spray the plants. The snails and slugs hate this and it deters them safely and it's non toxic. If you're patient, also try picking off the snails and popping them into a container for disposal.

Get used coffee grounds from your local café or coffee shop and load them into a rotary fertilizer spreader. As you fertilize your lawn with the coffee grounds, it will also make it very unpleasant for snails to cross.

Rub a ring of Vaseline around pots or along the sidewalk to the plants. Snails cannot cross the barrier.

Use copper tape, available from hardware stores and garden centers. Snails can't cross copper.

Try using snail spray or snail pellets. Snail spray is used by simply spraying it all around your snail infested areas. Snail pellets can be scattered all around the infected area. Do not use the pellets if you have pets.

They are usually seeking cool and dark places if it is hot and dry outside, or food sources. Don't leave dirty dishes in the kitchen for extended periods (stack them in the dishwasher as you go) and empty your food waste bins regularly.

Non-toxic iron phosphate bait, or salt, kills them. After an active night, use a flashlight and follow their shiny trails to their entry locations (near pipe openings, ducting, joints, baseboard trims, and under cabinets). Then, block larger openings with expanding polyurethane foam and smaller openings with silicone sealant.

Try to till your soil with a small shovel or rake. This will also prevent the snail eggs from hatching.

Yes, that should work fine.

That depends on what kind of snails you have in your area. Most land snails are herbivores (they eat plants and fungi). Some are omnivores or carnivores and can, in fact, eat earthworms (like the snails in New Zealand).

You can sprinkle salt on them, which will make them shrivel up.

Go out at night with a bright flashlight or solar light. Carry a stiff plastic bag. Locate the shiny slime trail, and then hand pick the snails and put them into the bag. Look into the bag every few minutes to make sure they aren't trying to climb out. If they are, just thump the outside of the bag, and they'll fall back to the bottom. When done with your yard search, tie a knot in the top end of the bag, and place it into your garbage can. Don't smash the shells with your fingers, since their slime is difficult to wash off.

Try using either SlugGo, a product containing iron phosphate, or simple diatomaceous earth. The former is non-toxic to humans and pets, and the latter is available in food-grade quality that is also non-toxic. Sprinkle either around the problem areas of your garden and within a few days you should notice a sharp drop in the local snail population.

You can use CLR. It's designed to break down calcium, lime and rust, and will break down the calcium in the shells. You can get it at most home improvement stores, and sometimes Walmart or Target.

Sprinkle some salt on double sided tape. I prefer this to the copper tape.

The salt dries up their skin and dehydrates them.

1 cup water + 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp flour + 1/2 tsp yeast.

Use only natural repellents, like eggshells and copper, which are meant to deter snails rather than kill them. Also, as noted in the article, picking the snails up and placing them at the other end of the garden can be an effective method; perhaps try shifting them to a garden space on the other side of your house, away from the veggie patch or other desirable plants.