Slugs love the wet and damp, so in the Winter and after Summer rainfall your garden will become their ideal home. A long hot spell should kill them off, but with the weather being so unpredictable at the moment you may want to take the matter into your own hands.

There are a variety of methods to controlling slug populations. The latest development, and the most effective, is to use 'Nematodes'. Nematodes are a naturally occurring organism found in very small quantities in the soil. They wont harm you, your children or the environment, but will seek out and kill slugs.

You apply the Nematodes to your garden by mixing the powder, containing thousands of the microscopic creatures. The Nematodes will seek out slugs in the soil, enter them and release bacteria which kills the slug from the inside. Then, the Nematodes multiply and hunt out more slugs.

You could also create a barrier round your plants by placing soot, sand, ash or broken egg shells around them. Slugs rely on the mucas they produce to move around and these materials will help to dry that liquid out. However, as the wind can easily blow these materials away, you will have to re-apply them regularly.

Beer or milk traps can also be used to attract slugs, thereby allowing you to remove them. Simply place a container in the soil so that it's raised up about 1 or 2cm's above the ground. Add either beer or milk so that it's about a quarter full and wait. In two or three days it should be full of slugs. All you have to do is remove the slugs and replenish the beer or milk.

If you dont like the sound of any of these tips, you can ofcourse wait until dark and with a torch go out into your garden and do your own slug hunting, just pick them up and put them in salty water. However this could take a while!