1. Beer. Snails are booze hounds. They love the stuff. If dig an ice cream container into the soil and fill with a stubby of beer, then cover over with somthing nice and dark (but leave an opening so the blighters can get in) the snails will slither strait toward the beer and fall in, then drown. If you are unwilling to sacrifice beer to such slaughter, then dissolve some vegiemite in hot water and you will get simmilar results.
2. When it rains they show up everywhere. So after the rain wander out into the garden with your biggest boots on, pick them up and stomp on them. If you dont like the sound (and alot of people feel rather guilty squishing snails), then feel free to stick them in a bucket and drown them (just make sure there is a lid on the bucket or they will climb out coz lets face it, nothing really wants to die) or if you have a strong stomach pop them in a jar of salt. I find that method unnecessarily cruel though.
3. If you have pot plants, put a line of copper wire around the top of the pot. Snails and slugs apparently hate crossing the stuff
4. IF you really have to put pellets down (and lets face it, when you plant a heap of petunias you dont want them eaten), there is an eco and pet friendly variety called Multiguard. I wouldnt go consuming it in large doses mind you, but its active constituent is Iron ETA, which break down into iron the plants can use and that substance is poisonous to snails, not people or pets, with the added bonus the snails go off and hide to die, rather then die slowly in plain sight. Much more aesthetically pleasing.
(gasp) don't kill them. they has feelings.
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