Blog: Reduce pest levels by encouraging feathered friends
After a mild winter, wet spring and summer, slugs are the number one pest – here’s how to attract birds that eat slugs to your garden. These molluscs eat plants, flowers, and vegetables, making reducing numbers a priority.
Fortunately, boosting your natural garden ecosystem by encouraging birds and not using pesticides is the way to go. It’s important to remember that if your garden has hedgehogs, slugs can harm them. They will eat slugs if there’s a lack of other food but they carry lungworm, a parasitic worm that can infect a hedgehog’s lungs, which can kill them.
Many British bird species feed on slugs, including song thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, and robins. Maria Kincaid, head ornithologist at FeatherSnap, shares her expert tips on how to attract birds that eat slugs to your garden.
How to attract birds that eat slugs – Do birds eat molluscs?
Maria said: “Eating slugs is not the only benefit birds bring to your garden. They contribute to a healthy and balanced garden ecosystem by preying on other insects and pests, promoting overall garden health. There are numerous ways you can transform your garden into a bird-friendly environment.
“Firstly, you need to provide water sources. These serve as pit stops for birds to bathe and drink. Provide a variety of different foods. While slugs are part of their diet, providing bird feeders with a mixture of seeds, nuts, and mealworms can attract birds initially.
“While it may be tempting to use pesticides such as pellets and sprays to keep the slugs at bay, chemical pesticides can be harmful to birds and reduce their food sources. Metaldehyde, a molluscicide ingredient found in many slug pellets, was banned in 2020 due to its ‘unacceptable’ risk to birds and mammals.
Using citrus traps
“A fantastic natural alternative is to use citrus-fruit traps in your garden. Simply cut an orange or grapefruit in half and place the halves throughout your garden. Birds will initially feed on the fruit, and once the fruit is gone, slugs will be attracted to the rinds. The birds will then return to eat the slugs. Finally, create sheltered areas for birds to hide from predators. Shrubs, trees, and hedges provide safe places for refuge and nesting.”
Maria added: “Make your garden a bird-friendly environment by installing bird baths and feeders. Fill your feeders with food that caters to a variety of different species. If in doubt, seek out ‘wild bird seed mixes’ at your local supermarket. Check the ingredients for mealworms, sunflower seeds, and nuts. These are particularly popular with a wide range of wild birds.
“Next, consider creating a compost area. Compost attracts small insects, slugs, and other creatures, which in turn attract birds. This natural food source will help bring more birds to your garden and create phenomenal organic material to return to your garden in the future.
How to attract birds that eat slugs – Planting vegetation for birds
“Plant bird-friendly vegetation. These plants provide food, shelter, and nesting material for birds, such as sunflowers, honeysuckle, holly, ivy, aster and blackthorn. Finally, leave leaf litter to create a natural habitat for slugs and other invertebrates. Birds will forage through the leaves for food, helping to keep your garden slug-free.”
By following these steps, your garden will have fewer slugs and the other benefits that birds bring. Birds help reduce weeds, fertilise your plants, and add to the overall health and beauty of your garden.
For more information, visit www.feathersnapcam.com.
