I want to share our homemade slug control recipe that is a child-safe, non-toxic great alternative to using beer. Not only that but it’s cheap to make and the recipe is simple enought that little gardeners can join in with making it. We’ve even thrown in a little science experiment at the end to keep the kids entertained.
What is slug wine?
“Slug Wine” as we like to call it, is the name for our homemade slug control, derived from an old recipe my partner found. He was on a forumn that was discussing a D.I.Y hooch recipe used in prison. Prisoners would mix fruit juice and bread together in a toilet and let it ferment over the coming weeks, the smell from the fermentation was so strong and it got the nickname ‘toilet wine’.
We never seemed to have much luck with beer traps and didn’t want to keep spending money on beer so we decided to adapt the hooch recipe and create a ‘slug wine’ to attract slugs to our traps.
This stuff smells so strong once fermented and the slugs love it!!!
How do you make a homemade slug control?
To make our homemade slug control we use fruit scraps, sugar, yeast and hot water. It’s then left to ferment for 6 weeks before used in the slug traps.
How does this D.I.Y slug control work?
Slugs are attracted to the smell of yeast and fermentation. By filling up slug traps with slug wine, close to the vegetables, flowers that you are trying to protect they will be attracted to the smell, crawl in and drown.
Homemade slug control recipe-Non-toxic.
What you will need:
- Empty 6 pint milk jug
- 350g Sugar
- Packet of yeast
- Bowl of old fruit scraps
- Hot water
- Pin
- Balloon (optional, but fun for the kids!)
Step 1
In your empty milk jug add:
- 1 Bowl of fruit scraps
- 350g Sugar
- 1 Sachet of yeast
Step 2
- Fill up the milk jug with hot (not boiling) water, to activate the yeast.
Step 3
- Take the milk lid and using a pin, pierce a hole into the top of it.
IMPORTANT: Don’t miss this step: The pin hole releases the natural build up of CO2 that occurs during fermentaion and stops the jug from exploding.
Step 4
- Put the lid on and leave it to ferment for 6 weeks before adding it to your slug traps.
Storage tips for your homemade slug control
- Store you slug wine in a dark, cool area where it won’t get knocked about too much.
- You may occasionally here a whistling sound coming from the bottle. This is completetly normal. It is just the gas escaping from the hole in the lid.
Optional step and fun for the kids
This is completely optional but our kids enjoyed it a lot.
BEFORE putting the lid on, secure a balloon over the opening of the jug.
As the yeast feeds on the sugar it releases carbon dioxide CO2 which will slowly blow the balloon up.
Once the balloon is filled, take it off carefully, pop the lid back on and let it ferment for 6 weeks.
Homemade Slug Control Recipe (Slug WIne)
This homemade slug control recipe is child-safe, non-toxic and a great alternative to using beer. Put in slug traps near the vegetables or flowers you are trying to protect, slugs will be attracted to the smell of the yeast and fermentation, crawl into the trap and drown.
Instructions
You will need:
- Tip into the milk jug - Fruit scraps, sugar and yeast.
- Fill the jug up with warm water.
- Make a hole in the top of the lid with a pin.
- Pop the lid on and leave for 6 weeks to ferment before adding to slug trap.
OPTIONAL, but fun for the kids:
Before putting the lid on, you can secure a balloon over the opening of the jug.
As the yeast eats the sugar it releases CO2 gas which will slowly fill the balloon up!
Once the balloon has blown up, carefully remove it, pop the lid on and leave it to ferment for 6 weeks.
Notes
- Make sure the water is hot to touch, but not boiling. Hot water will activate the yeast, boiling water will kill it.
- You may hear a whistling sound coming from the jug. Don't worry, this is just the gas escaping through the hole in the lid and is a good sign that it's working.
- Store in a cool, dark place
- After 6 weeks, use in slug traps placed near your plants to entice the slugs away from your crops.
This is very cool! I’m going to try this. We have our share of slugs around here, that’s for sure. I’ve tried lots of remedies, but have never seen one like this. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, I hope it works for you.
This is an interesting post. I have never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing!
I laughed so hard when I read where this recipe came from lol… holy moly. What a background story! This is actually ingenious and I will have to try this!
haha I know! When my partner told me about it I was like errgh BUT it does work 🙂
This is so cool! I love gardening with my kiddos, and we will definitely be trying this out!
Excelllent! If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
This is great! I’m desperately trying to be more natural in my gardening, but those pesky bugs make it hard. I will definitely be keeping this recipe on hand.
It does sometimes feel like a full time job keeping all the pests away from our veggies especially when you don’t want to use chemicals. We also like to use cooked,crushed egg shells sprinkled around our crops as another deterrent,just incase one of the slugs makes it past our slug traps 🙂