Answer

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Slug control in full season beans	5/8/2007 9:22 PM
We have slug damage in no till full season beans each year. They will kill areas and miss areas. It is very difficult to replant a field with misses at random throughout the field. We have tried some limited bait trials if little success. Is there anything on the marker that works without having a fortune in bait materials? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer

5/23/2007 1:55 PM

Slugs are similar to snails without shells, and they aren't insects because they have no legs. Most injury from this pest has been in no-till corn in Iowa. Rarely do they feed on soybean. I have not observed slug damage to soybean, but it may be similar to millipede
damage whereby the slug chews through the hypocotyl and kills the seedling soybean. There are no insecticides that are effective against slugs. Tillage may be the solution until you get it under control and you can then go back to no-till again.

Management can be a challenge. There are several labeled “slug-icides” but they are expensive and results have been very inconsistent. Two bright sunny days are the best treatment, if the weather cooperates. Tillage is another good and cheap way to manage slugs. As the soil dries and warms the pressure will subside.

In Kentucky, they have tried other things. If the forecast is cloudy weather for a couple days, then the best treatment they have used is 20 to 30 lbs of KCl. (liquid 28 % N in corn is another option.) The slugs don’t like the salt. Results are not guaranteed. The fertilizer has to be applied early in the morning when there is dew and the slugs are active. Evening will work as well. The treatments tend to be less effective when applied mid-day when the slugs are no longer on the soil surface.

Palle Pedersen (5/9/2007)