Garden Slugs
Agriolimax spp. and Arion spp.
Biology
Soft-bodied and slimy, slugs, Agriolimax spp. and
Arion spp., and the slime trails that they leave are common in many
strawberry plantings.
Gray garden slug. Most slugs in strawberries range in length from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches (12 - 36 mm).
Damage
Slugs damage fruit by eating deep holes into the
surface of berries. Slugs that damage strawberries in Illinois in the
spring and early summer hatched from eggs deposited in strawberry
plantings the previous fall. Conditions that favor egg-laying in the
fall include the continuous presence of straw mulches. Slug survival and
fruit damage in the spring are greatest in dense, wide rows and when
overcast and rainy weather creates continuously moist conditions in
strawberry beds.
Control
Removal of straw mulch after harvest, summer
renovation, and delaying fall mulching as long as is practical are
effective steps in reducing slug populations. Slug baits that contain
metaldehyde may be used in strawberries only if the baits are applied to
the soil surface (and to mulch) and do not contact plants.
See also: Slugs