Experts predict that this will be the worst ever year on record for the slimy garden pests due to a particularly warm winter, with above average temperatures recorded for December and January.
Dr Ian Bedford, Head of Entomology at John Innes Centre, has estimated that a cubic metre of garden in Britain could have to accommodate up to 200 slugs, each of which can have up to 200 offspring.
"They usually survive the winter in our gardens as eggs,” he said.
“Without a cold snap, it's fair to say that slug numbers, especially the invading Spanish slug, which can lay up to 400 eggs, will escalate this year.
It’s not just gardeners who venture out to the allotment, kitchen garden or vegetable plot when the weather warms up; there’s a crowd of undesirable garden pests who awaken from their winter slumber and they’re in a hungry mood!
You’ll find slug eggs are hatching, the warmth in the greenhouse is enticing out red spider mites and aphids are beginning to wing their way in from winter host plants – and they’ve all got a taste for the seedlings and young plants you’ve been carefully nurturing.
There’s no denying that spring is arguably the busiest time down at the allotment or in the kitchen garden and vegetable patch so it’s hardly surprising that you take your eye off the pest control ball briefly. Problem is, that could lead to all sorts of problems should pests manage to get a foothold in the garden or greenhouse - never has the ‘prevention is better than cure' phrase rang truer – so a little reminder of what you could and should be doing in the garden pest-wise.
Nemaslug Slug Killer is fast gaining a reputation as the organic way of winning the battle against garden slugs, and as one application of nemaslug can provide up to 6 weeks protection it is a cost effective slug killer as well
One application of Nemaslug provides 300,000 nematodes - phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita - for every square metre of soil, giving at least six weeks control of slugs which is generally enough time for seedlings and bedding plants to get well established.
Simple to apply, impossible to overdose and totally safe to use around children, pets and wildlife, Nemaslug Slug Killer is ideal for organic gardening. Just mix the Nemaslug nematodes with water, choose a watering can with a coarse rose - or make life even easier with a hosepipe applicator - and water on the garden from the start of the growing season once soil temperatures hit 5°C.
The Nemasys Natural Fruit and Veg Protection takes the guesswork out of garden pest control and makes life in the garden so much simpler; there's no more trying to remember what spray or predator you need to control specific pests or when to apply them with this lethal cocktail of garden pest-seeking nematodes around!
Capable of controlling Carrot Root Fly, Cabbage Root Fly, Leatherjackets, Cutworm, Onion Fly, Ants, Sciarids, Caterpillars, Gooseberry Saw Fly, Thrips and Codling Moth, this really is the must have pest protection in the fruit and vegetable garden.
A single application of Natural Fruit and Veg Protection once the soil temperature hits 12°C will give a fortnight's control - and it will also look after codling moth larvae when applied to trees or soil. Each pack covers 60 square metres (or 16 trees in the case of codling moth larvae) and a double pack option is also available, which saves both re-ordering and postage costs.
The organic nematode pest control measures, along with natural beneficial insect habitats we have built up should give you a fighting chance of protecting your valuable fruit, flowers and vegetables from the army of garden pests out there.
And as gardeners ourselves, we are only too aware of the delicate eco-system which exists in the garden and our responsibility to protect this essential infrastructure - and that's why we feel it's worth stressing that ALL our pest control products are organic, perfectly safe to use around children, pets and wildlife and kind to the environment.
Other plant protection gets more than a look in too with various forms of garden netting, all designed to protect your valuable crops from everything pests and the weather can throw at them. You'll find our range includes cloches and cold frames to extend the growing season and warm the soil pre-planting, protection for ponds as well as plants and a myriad of clips, pegs and ties to keep everything place.
