GARDENERS to battle a huge rise in slugs experts warn.

Slugs have kept eating and breeding throughout the year, instead of going into hibernation because the temperature remained relatively high over the winter, with just a few short sub-zero periods.

The UK is expected to see a huge slug population explosion due to the warm winter and wet summer.

Gardeners can help prevent slugs from eating their plants by:

• Removing cover for slugs such as leaves and bricks

• Putting copper tape around plants

• Creating a rough area near their plants with crushed glass or sand

• Putting plants by ponds so water-dwelling predators of slugs, such as frogs and newts, can keep their population down

• Placing plants that repel slugs - such as those from the geranium family - next to those that attract them, such as Hostas

• Applying Nemaslug a 100% organic solution that is safe for children, birds, cats and dogs and works extremely well even in wet conditions.
  
  
  

Normal seasonal weather conditions, cold, frosty winters and dry summers, usually keep the slug population down, but this winter was significantly warmer than usual, with just a short cold snap. 

Fact: Slugs remain active when temperatures remain above 5C, and with little snow or frost, they have simply kept going through the cold months. They lay up to 200 eggs per cubic metre, and it’s estimated that the average UK garden could be home to up to 20,000 slugs.