Spring is here and so are uninvited guests—lurking under the leaves, dining at night, and sleeping during the day: SLUGS. What to do about the pesky mollusk is a topic of discussion at many garden clubs, especially for gardeners who want to go green. So here are a few ideas.

1. Grind eggshells in a blender with some water and spread the slurry on the tops of the soil to create a scratchy barrier.
2. Take apart copper Brillo pads (Yes, you can still find them) and put the pieces around the plants. Contact gives slugs a shock.
3. Mix one part old coffee and 10 parts water and spray it on plant leaves and surrounding soil. It gives the slimy invader a heart attack on contact.
4. Spraying with a mixture of two cups water and two teaspoons dish washing detergent will not only dry them up, it will also help eliminate aphids, lace bugs, bronze orange bugs, whitefly and scale.
5. Send slugs to their maker with a smile by putting the dregs of beer in pans short enough for them to ooze into.
6. Human hair on the soil’s surface tangles them up.
7. Slugs are attracted to lemon, orange and grapefruit rinds. Put them out at night and pick them up in the morning.
8. Slugs will also hide under old boards if you have the fortitude to scrape them off the wood every morning.
9. Buy a duck!

 Karla Stover belongs to the Root & Bloom Garden Club and the Hill and Dale District of Garden Clubs.