I don’t think that there is more than a square foot of this garden that can claim to be snail free, the little blighters are everywhere!  I’m almost sure that some of them were professional climbers in a past life; during the daily snail hunt I came across one that was well on its way to the top of the apple tree and I found another, on what seemed to be a very suspicious errand, on top of the shed roof.

I try to garden organically but sometimes I am sorely tempted to shower them all with little blue pellets. So far I have managed to refrain from resorting to drastic measures.  If trying to stay within organic principles was not motive enough, I now have more reason to resist temptation.  The garden has a new resident and is known to us as Dan the hedgehog, to be honest she could just as easily be Diane the hedgehog! These unassuming creatures have become very scarce and Dan/Diane has been made very welcome by the residents of Hafan yr Hud (the four legged kind as well as the two legged variety). There is still a need to maintain a balance between providing the hedgehog with a bountiful supply of safe and delicious delicacies and protecting hostas, cabbages and lettuce from the ever present threat of being ravished by slugs and snails.

Eggshells are no match for Anglesey snails and whilst nematodes have had some impact on slug numbers it is only temporary as treatments only last for up to six weeks.  I have a friend who believes that she has found a humane answer to the problem.  She relieves the local pub of its slops every morning and gently places the snails in the bucket of slops; she’s convinced that they die happy.

My solution is the daily early morning snail hunt, a little more laborious but easier on the conscience.  The record for a snail hunt stands at a 120 in one go.  If short of time I tend to throw them over the earthwork bank into the field next door.  If I have more time I will collect them in a bucket and remembering to put a lid on the bucket will treat them to a little trip in the car, usually about a mile down the road where I will drop them off in a safe place.

My fear is that snails have a sort of inbuilt homing device and that come the day of the revolution I will spy a whole army of them marching over the banks intent on re-claiming what is rightfully theirs.

CYMRAEG