Yeast, sugar and water are the household items you need to keep slugs at bay this winter. Slugs are active all year long meaning even your autumn crops are not safe from these slimy pests, and if you're looking at how to get rid of slugs naturally, this may be your answer.
With slugs chomping on our prize plants year on year, we often turn to a number of hacks from the viral tea towel hack to the copper scourer hack to try and keep them at bay.
But there's harm in adding another to the mix, especially as this yeast and sugar hack has even been recommended by the King’s senior gardener Jack Stooks. As revealed by The Mirror, Jack uses this method when working on the royal gardens.
But what exactly does this method entail?
What you need
- Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Granulated Sugar - £1 at Waitrose
- Allinson Easy Bake Yeast - £1.50 at Tesco
What's the hack?
The method is quite simple. It involves adding a tablespoon of yeast and a tablespoon of sugar to a container with some water. Then bury the container near your affected plants leaving the lid exposed, thus creating a booby trap for slugs. The mixture ferments and goes frothy, releasing a smell that attracts slugs away from your plants and into the bowl, leaving you to dispose of them safely.
‘Slugs are attracted to yeast thanks to the distinctive smell it gives out, as they find the smell similar to their favourite food of fermenting fruits and berries,’ says James Ewens, Commercial Director at Green Feathers.
‘This is why beer traps are one of the more popular methods of slug control, as the strong scent draws them in –leaving them unable to escape.
‘By mixing the yeast with sugar and water, the yeast becomes active, fermenting the sugar into alcohol and giving off a smell very similar to that of beer, which slugs once again find very appetising.’
Think of it like a pub for slugs - they simply cannot resist a fermented drink in the same way we head to the pub for a pint. You can also add salt to your mixture to kill the slugs when they enter the bowl.
Is this a good hack to use?
‘The yeast and sugar slug trap actually works better than most store-bought solutions. I've tested various pest control methods throughout my 17 years of landscaping work, and this simple hack keeps impressing me,’ says Loren Taylor, garden and landscaping expert and owner of Outdoor Fountain Pros.
‘Here's a real example: Last month, a client's hostas were getting demolished by slugs. We set up three yeast traps around the affected area. Within a week, her plants stopped showing new damage, and the traps were full.
‘The mixture stays effective for about five to seven days before needing a refresh, and emptying the traps takes seconds.
‘The only downside? You might notice more slugs initially since they'll crawl over from nearby areas. Stick with it though - the population drops significantly after a few weeks of consistent trapping.’
However, James points out this is not the most humane method for removing slugs from your garden.
‘The main reason someone may not want to use this trap is that it isn’t the most humane way to get rid of slugs from your garden. If that’s the case, we would suggest manually removing the slugs yourself,’ he says.
‘Go into your garden on a damp evening with gloves and a bucket and collect up any slugs you find, as this is when they’ll be the most active.
‘You can then move the slugs to a part of the garden you don’t mind them being in, such as if you have a wild area that you’re letting grow naturally.
‘Move them out of your garden if you have a grassy or wooded area close by, or even put them in your compost bin to help break down the matter in there and turn them into a garden benefit rather than a garden pest.’
Overall, this tried and tested method is effective if you want to get slugs out of your garden quickly. It’s cheaper than stocking up on beer and non-toxic and chemical-free too. Will you be giving this sugary sweet trick a try?
