These natural slug repellents are the best ways to banish slugs from your home and garden

Believe it or not, the average garden can be home to up to 15,000 slugs, says Love The Garden. But as well as munching their way through your veggie patch, slugs can also get acquainted in our homes, as their bodies can squeeze through even the smallest of cracks. Luckily, there are lots of different ways to deter slugs away from your most prized garden crop and front door, from building a beer trap (yes really, slugs love the booze!) to laying down eggshells and building a hedgehog house. Yes, we're serious.

The garden is a slugs' favourite destination as they love to eat plants, particularly leaves, stems, roots and veg. But there are a few ways you can prevent slugs from sliming their way through the foliage, including biological and cultural control to using a chemical treatment. We've spoken to an expert at Love The Garden, who has helped us pop this guide together. Who knew pest control could be so exciting?

Slugs begone! We’ve found the best natural slug repellent to stop critters munching on your crops...

How to get rid of slugs in the garden

Build a hedgehog house

Slugs are one of hedgehog's favourite delicacies (as well as snails and insects). Therefore encouraging more hedgehogs into your garden by building a hedgehog home can be a great way to keep slug numbers down. If you’ve got some time on your hands then we’ve got a great guide on how to build your very own hedgehog home and you’ll probably already have most of the items lying around in your house. Funnily enough, slugs are known to seek cover under bricks, garden furniture, and large logs.

Let's hope they make their way over to your new hedgehog home...

Wood pellets, coffee grounds, egg shells and grit

Slugs hate clambering over rough and spiky objects, so if there’s a particular plant or batch of veggies you want to protect, surround them with a thick layer of either of these. If you’re using egg shells, Love The Garden suggests popping them in the oven first and baking them on low heat, as this will make them more spiky and even less appealing for those pesky slugs. We suggest pine needles and thorny cuttings.

Though not natural, we can't help but suggest a solution - which many of us may already have in our toolkits. Rumour has it that you can spray WD40 Lubricant on the outside of plant pots to make them too slippery for slugs to climb. Very clever - easy and effective. We would love someone to try this...

Buy a bird table

Another natural predator that enjoys a good slug is birds, particularly Song Thrushes. If you don’t have many birds in your garden why not try to encourage more by buying either a bird table or a bird bath? Apparently, Song Thrushes are a big fan of suet pellets, so spreading some of these on the ground or popping them into a feeder could help entice them into your garden and get rid of those squelchy slugs.

Set up a beer trap

It’s not just people who enjoy a nice cool beer on a warm summer's day as slugs love it too - no really! They’re attracted to the fermentation gasses of the beer. Love The Garden has a really easy beer trap guide and all you need is a beer and a jam jar. It's one of our favourite natural slug repellents...

Half-fill a jam jar with beer.

Sink it into the soil, with its rim approximately 1cm (0.5in) above the soil surface (to prevent predators of slugs, like beetles, from falling in).

The aroma never fails to attract slugs and in seeking its source the pests simply fall in and drown.

Get some slug pellets

These contain substances that are poisonous to slugs and will kill them once they make direct contact with them. Spread a thin layer on the soil or around your vulnerable plants and veggies to help keep them safe. Always make sure to keep slug pellets out of reach of children and pets.

Grow or buy slug-repellent plants

There are a few plants and herb garden essentials which slugs don’t like, such as fennel, rosemary, lavender, garlic and onions. All of these give off a smell that slugs hate, so you’ll find them wriggling away in no time. We recommend watering your garden plants in the morning. This top tip from Modern Gardens will help dry out your favourite plants before nightfall; this way, they're less attractive to slugs.

How to get rid of slugs in the house

It’s never a nice surprise to wake up and find a slimy trail on your kitchen floor left by a slug or, even worse, stepping on one. Slugs usually venture into our homes because they want something, like warmth or shade. Here are a few ways you can prevent them from outstaying their welcome with the best natural slug repellent...

Copper tape

When slugs slide onto copper tape it creates a small electrical charge that deters the slugs away from them. Put a strip of copper tape by the door as a barrier and any other entrance points that you think slugs may be able to enter. You can also put this around your plant pots too.

Salt

Salt kills slugs as it draws the water out of their skin and they die within minutes of dehydration. So if you’ve found a slug trail in your home, follow it back to its starting point and lay down some salt. It may not be the most humane method, but it will certainly solve the problem.

Reseal windows and doors

As we mentioned at the start, slugs have no bones in their bodies and therefore can squeeze through the tiniest of spaces, including cracks in windows seals and doors. Check that there are no holes or cracks in any of your windows and doors and if there are reseal them to prevent slugs from entering.

Piper Huxley is a Homes, Garden and Wellness Product Writer for Yours, an all-rounder who will write on anything from décor to wellness. When not scouring the net for the best home bargains, Piper is listening to a musical soundtrack and tending to her houseplants.