What animal eats slugs?
I say it again and again, in every one of my articles: to be rid of slugs in the garden for good, you don’t have a hundred different options.
You need to increase the plant biodiversity of the garden, so as to offer slugs other plants they enjoy besides your superb lettuces.
And above all, you need to draw into the garden the animals and insects that feed naturally on slugs.
Once these are established, they will regulate the gastropod populations continuously.
And that is the one and only way to deal with them for good.
In this short article, we’ll list the various animals that eat slugs, set out a general method for attracting them into the garden, and finish by mentioning complementary methods to protect your plants from slugs while you draw these animals into the garden.
If you're discovering my blog, chances are slugs and snails are giving you grief.
You'd probably be very interested in the copper slug barrier I designed .
It changed everything for me. I can finally grow lettuce, cabbages, strawberries and squashes without tearing my hair out.
Don't hesitate — it's an investment (copper is expensive), but you'll likely save yourself a huge amount of time!
What eats slugs?
Several mammals, insects, birds, amphibians and even other gastropods eat slugs:
List and description of the animals that eat slugs
Birds: The most effective bird species
Blackbirds (Turdus merula)
Description : Medium-sized bird with black plumage in the males and brown in the females.
Role in slug control : Blackbirds are predators with a keen appetite for small slugs, and they are particularly active early in the morning when they comb the ground in search of food.
Thrushes (Turdidae)
Description : Sturdy birds, often with speckled plumage.
Role in slug control : Thrushes, and the song thrush in particular, are renowned for their appetite for slugs and other invertebrates, helping to keep their population in check.
Tits (Paridae)
Description : Small, colourful birds with a great variety of species such as the great tit and the blue tit.
Role in slug control : Tits eat small slugs, especially during the breeding season when they are feeding their young.
Mammals: The land animals that eat slugs
Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)
Description : Small nocturnal mammal with spines on its back.
Role in slug control : Hedgehogs feed on slugs, snails and insects, which makes them valuable allies for gardeners looking to protect their crops naturally. The hedgehog is even able to tackle large slugs.
Moles (Talpa europaea)
Description : Burrowing mammal with sturdy front paws and silky fur.
Role in slug control : Although chiefly insectivorous, moles also eat small slugs and their eggs, helping to regulate the population.
Badgers (Meles meles)
Description : Large nocturnal mammal with a distinctive white stripe on the head.
Role in slug control : Badgers, though mainly omnivorous, also eat slugs, helping to reduce their numbers.
Shrews (Soricidae)
Description : Small insectivorous mammals with a pointed snout.
Role in slug control : Shrews feed on small slugs and other small invertebrates, contributing to their natural control.
Rats (Rattus)
Description : Medium-sized rodents with great adaptability.
Role in slug control : Some rats, particularly in natural settings, eat slugs, although they are not specialised predators.
Amphibians: The importance of frogs and toads
Frogs (Ranidae)
Description : Amphibians with long hind legs, suited to jumping and swimming.
Role in slug control : Frogs, especially the young ones, feed on small slugs, helping to reduce their numbers in wet areas and gardens.
Toads (Bufonidae)
Description : Land-dwelling amphibians with rough, warty skin.
Role in slug control : Toads are slug-eaters too, catching them on their nocturnal hunts and so playing a part in managing slug populations in gardens.
Newts (Triturus)
Description : Small smooth-skinned amphibians, often with bright colours during the breeding season.
Role in slug control : Newts eat small slugs and other aquatic invertebrates, contributing to their regulation.
Reptiles: Lizards and snakes as slug-eaters
Lizards (Lacertidae)
Description : Reptiles with scaly skin and an elongated body.
Role in slug control : Lizards, the common wall lizard in particular, eat small slugs and other small invertebrates, helping to maintain a natural balance.
Snakes (Colubridae)
Description : Legless reptiles with a long, supple body.
Role in slug control : Some snakes, such as grass snakes, may occasionally feed on slugs, thereby contributing to their regulation.
Slow worms (Anguis fragilis)
Description : Legless reptile resembling a snake, but in fact a lizard.
Role in slug control : Slow worms feed mainly on slugs and other invertebrates, playing an important role in regulating their populations.
Insects and arthropods: Ground beetles, nematodes and other invertebrate predators
Ground beetles (Carabidae)
Description : Large beetles, often dark and metallic in colour.
Role in slug control : Ground beetles, particularly the soil-dwelling species, actively hunt and eat slugs, helping to protect crops.
Devil’s coach horse (Ocypus olens)
Description : Large black beetle with an elongated body.
Role in slug control : This nocturnal predator feeds on slugs and other small invertebrates, helping to keep populations in balance.
Glow-worms (Lampyris noctiluca)
Description : Bioluminescent insects whose larvae are predatory.
Role in slug control : Glow-worm larvae actively eat slugs, which makes them valuable allies for gardeners.
Centipedes (Chilopoda)
Description : Segmented arthropods with numerous legs.
Role in slug control : Centipedes are nocturnal predators that feed on slugs and other small invertebrates.
Other predators
Roman snail (Helix pomatia)
Description : Large land snail known for its spiral shell.
Role in slug control : These snails eat slug eggs, thereby reducing future populations.
Leopard slug (Limax maximus)
Description : Large slug with characteristic dark markings.
Role in slug control : Unlike most slugs, the leopard slug is carnivorous and feeds on small slugs, helping to regulate their numbers.
List and description of the animals that feed on slugs but are not naturally present in European biotopes (introduced animals)
The animals listed above share the common trait of being animals that feed on slugs in the local natural environment (temperate Europe), and that can be drawn into the garden naturally through suitable arrangements.
The animals listed below also eat slugs, but they have to be brought into the garden by the gardener. And they can throw the garden off balance, notably by eating the natural predators of slugs (insects, amphibians).
Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Description : Domestic bird commonly kept for its eggs and its meat.
Role in slug control : Chickens are excellent at scratching the soil and eating slugs. But they can also eat reptiles, amphibians and insects that naturally eat slugs.
Indian runner duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)
Description : Breed of domestic duck known for its upright posture and its ability to move about quickly.
Role in slug control : Indian runner ducks are particularly effective at eating slugs. Even so, like the chicken, they eat in great quantities the insects that naturally (and sometimes very effectively) eat slugs.
Nematodes (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita)
Description : Microscopic parasitic worms specific to slugs.
Role in slug control : Used as biological agents, nematodes infect and kill slugs, offering an effective control method with no adverse impact on other species. They are often applied as a soil treatment and are very effective at reducing slug populations. Doubts may remain about their potential effects on other living organisms in the garden (which could potentially trigger cascade effects over the long term). They are also fairly expensive, and need to be applied and reapplied continually. This is not a sustainable method of slug management.
How to attract into the garden these animals that naturally eat slugs?
Create a favourable habitat: Tips for arranging the garden to attract birds and mammals
Birds
- Put up nest boxes and feeders : Install nest boxes for various bird species and provide feeders with suitable seed. Birds will also appreciate hedges and trees for perching and nesting.
- Provide natural shelter : Bushes, trees and dense hedges offer nesting and refuge sites for birds.
- Protect refuge areas : Avoid mowing or tidying certain parts of the garden in order to create refuge areas where birds can feel safe.
Mammals
- Set up shelters for hedgehogs and other small mammals : Place piles of wood, dead leaves or shelters specially designed for hedgehogs.
- Provide compost areas : Compost heaps attract many insects and invertebrates that hedgehogs feed on.
- Create passageways : Make sure that fences and other obstacles allow small mammals to get through. Access holes in fences can help hedgehogs and other mammals to come into and leave your garden (their hunting territory is very large).
Use attractive plants: The plants that attract predatory insects
Plants to attract beneficial insects
- Red clover and phacelia have been identified as attractive to ground beetles and rove beetles.
Specific plants for amphibians and reptiles
- Planted wetland areas : Plant irises, sedges and rushes around water features to provide hiding places and breeding sites for frogs, toads and newts.
- Dense-foliage plants : Ferns and hostas offer shade and moisture, creating a favourable environment for slow worms and lizards.
Install water features: The importance of ponds and water features for amphibians
Creating ponds and basins
- Build a pond : A natural pond or a garden basin provides an essential habitat for frogs, toads, newts and other amphibians. Make sure there are gentle slopes so that the animals can get in and out easily.
- Set up temporary water features : Shallow saucers of water or small fountains can also attract amphibians and birds.
- Add aquatic plants : Water lilies, waterweed and pondweed offer hiding places and breeding areas for amphibians.
- Ensure clean, non-chlorinated water : Avoid chemicals and chlorinated filters. Favour clean, natural water to attract amphibians.
By following this advice, you’ll create a garden that welcomes a variety of natural predators which will help to control slug populations over the long term.
A hedge of varied native species is an excellent way to attract a great many animals that feed on slugs.
Complementary methods of slug control
While the natural predators of slugs settle into your garden, you can protect your plants from the gastropods without harming these animals.
To do so, you need to protect your plants without killing the slugs. Otherwise, the animals you’re trying to draw into the garden will no longer find their food! And they will move on.
So the best solution is to use effective slug barriers.
On this point, forget brambles, ash, eggshells and other vegetable-patch myths: they don’t work, at least not over the long term. (If you don’t believe me, watch my video tests here)
The only effective slug barriers are water (used in the form of a moat) and copper (used in the form of a vertical barrier).
In fact, I’ve designed a copper barrier that changed the game at my place.
Its results were so astonishing that I brought it to market.
It’s available here: the copper mesh for slugs.
That said, a lasting resolution of your slug problem will absolutely depend on arranging your garden to attract the natural predators of the gastropods. I can’t stress this enough.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and that it has given you new tools to garden in freedom and self-reliance, all while understanding what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
See you soon,
Robin.
The information in this article has been selected and verified according to the criteria defined in our editorial charter.
Done with slugs. For good. Starting this season.
Scientific references
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Douglas, M. R., Tooker, J. F. (2021). “Slug (Mollusca: Agriolimacidae, Arionidae) Ecology and Management in No-Till Field Crops, With an Emphasis on the mid-Atlantic Region.” Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 12(1). Journal of Integrated Pest Management.
“All about slugs.” John Innes Centre. Retrieved from John Innes Centre.
Brooks, J. (2023). “Understanding Slugs: What They Are and How to Manage Them.” Wild Explained. Retrieved from Wild Explained.
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