What to do with nudibranchs?

The most important points in brief:

• Nudibranchs often appear in a horde
• A large amount of mucus from snails prevents them from having natural enemies
• The animals can be fought with snail fences, paste or grain
• Be careful with so-called beer traps

For many of us, nudibranchs are disgusting because, unlike other species of snail, they don't have a shell into which they can retreat for protection. But the fact that slugs do not have a shell also has advantages for this type of snail: They save energy, are more agile and can cover longer distances. However, if you have nudibranchs with you in the garden or in the meadow, you would like to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Because often a single nudibranch quickly becomes a whole horde.

Annoying omnivores

One of the reasons why nudibranchs are so common is that they have almost no natural enemies. Animals like birds, hedgehogs and toads, which otherwise eat snails, avoid slugs. This has to do with the fact that the snails release so much mucus that the animals mentioned would suffocate on it. The problem with the nudibranch is not that they look unsavory, but that, as omnivores, they often empty entire crops or beds and thus often bring great frustration and anger with them.

We would like to present the most useful tips against nudibranchs from our point of view:

• Snail fences, which are available in specialist shops, can help the animals attack your beds and destroy them.
• Nudibranchs like to hide, so it is best to remove any hiding places (e.g. tall grass) near the endangered beds.
• Snail paste can be applied quickly and easily and the specific fragrance keeps the animals away.
• A safe method is slug pellets. However, this preparation should be applied as early as possible (March / April) and must be sprinkled again regularly.
• Snails like to lay their eggs in crevices and crevices. The hiding places with the eggs should be found and removed.

And if all else fails

If your garden is repeatedly plagued by nudibranchs, you can think about buying or renting a duck. Because a duck eats up to thirty snails a day and also likes white grubs.

Beer traps are often considered a safe way to control slugs. But caution is advised here: because the smell of the beer trap attracts many more snails.