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Slugs (Class Gastropoda) range in color from yellow to black and may be ¼ to 1 inch or longer. They feed by rasping ragged holes in berries. Tell-tale slimy trails are left on fruit surfaces, making slug damage easy to verify. Slugs require a damp, moist environment to survive, so most injury occurs during rainy spring months. 

Adult slug with eggs.

(Photo: Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky)

Slug damage.

(Photo: Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky)

Slug in berry.

(Photo: Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky)

Management:

• Remove excess mulch or litter on soil surfaces, manage weeds, and plant at lower crop densities to reduce conditions favoring slugs.
• Various slug traps (stale beer trap) may be effective for small plantings, but they are not practical for larger plantings.
• Slug and snail toxicant baits can be used for a higher level of control.

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