Erm, no - but they're actually easier to deal with when they're on the aerial parts of a plant - just pick 'em off and dispose of them.

Thanks for the comment about my question. Did you know that there were no snails in Britain until the Romans brought them here, 2,000 years ago? We can blame them.
C. Paul.

Actually the Romans brought in the edible snail, there were other types already here. One of the ways in which archaeological sites can be dated is by looking at the type of snails etc, found in soil samples.
As Bamboo says, the best way is to pick the snails off and stand on them. There does not seem to be a spray which kills molluscs.
Supposedly Garlic spray does deter them, but who wants a garden that reeks of onions?

Much easier to dispose of snails off plants... if you don't want to stomp on them drop them in a bucket of very salty water

I pick any off and throw them in the field ,they probably all come back again at some point :o(

Amy a member did an experiment to see how far away she had to take captured snails to make sure they did not come back. She used nail varnish to paint dots on their shells. It was quite a talking point amongst her neighbours who wondered at the new species arriving in their gardens. Sorry I cannot remember how far she decided on as an optimum distance but she did say the ones thrown over the garden fence came back within 24 hours. I cr who it was but maybe she will tell us. Cp definitely the best way to dispose of them is by dropping them in salt water as Mg does or Bleach as I do. I don't use slug pellets because I think they attract all the neighbours snails in to your own garden.

Why do you think slug pellets attract neighbour's snails, Scotsgran?

Experience.

Same effect as putting a ring of pellets round a plant, they just congregate the molluscs in that area.
Scissors and boot are good enough for us.

I think Mg has a good solution. Just go out there at night with a pair of thongs & flashlight, pick 'em off and drop into a bucket of soapy water/ salt water, etc.

I think if anyone went out at night with a flashlight and a pair of "thongs" they'd get arrested over here :)

Scotsgran that is so funny I can just imagine the 'spotty ' snails being picked up by school children and taken into school on "show and tell" day Lol ... I guess mine have probably all been coming back within 24 hrs if thats the case :o(

Very true Cammomiles That would be very difficult to explain away LOL ....

On the plants/shrubs they are usually very visible during the day.

This blog really made me laugh.

ha ha ha. I guess I walked into that one! I meant "tongs" the kitchen utensil.

I do recall that the great Roman, Marcus Lisinius Crassus, he's the one that defeated Sparticus and thereafter lined the Appian Way with six thousand unusual plantings all of his own design, admitted that he not only liked to eat oysters but snails too.

The French still do eat snails... Bulbs and I have enjoyed when there

BTW they have a thriving snail farm , L'escargot Anglais at Credenhill Hereford ....... as good as any French snails apparently ....

Amy: Your post made me laugh. I knew someone who used to hurl snails across a road and a stream into a field. With each one he uttered the immortal sentence, "Walk, you b******!"

(Apologies to anyone of a sensitive nature.)

Incidentally, has any lady here tried Dr Organic's Snail Gel, available from a well-known health shop? I had to test some and liked it! Very soothing and, I thought, effective.
(Wonder how they get the Gel though?)

I Googled that question and found this:

QUOTE:This gel is produced from snails that are farmed humanely under certified organic conditions and are free to roam. On their travels, they move over glass panels which are used to safely collect the mucus secretion, which is then filtered and concentrated by vacuum evaporation to reduce its water content, before a mild preservative is added to maintain its shelf life.UNQUOTE

Well I never!

What is it 'supposed' to do - most of these things are hokum!

It's supposed to smooth wrinkles and soften skin, MG... bet it can't beat a surgical facelift;-))

Going back to the question, lol, this is a good time of year to reduce the population as they hibernate in groups and you can often fine a dozen or a score all together in a dark dry corner, glued onto a pot, a stone,etc (and I have found them in the spout of a watering can, but that's by the bye...) At our last house I collected two carrier bags over half full and had very little trouble with them afterwards.

Hum, think I'll stick to vitamin E cream personally...

Good suggestion Stera

Snail slime is very similar to the goopy mucus which comes out of ones nose during a cold......I hope that gel is not from......:0

Yuck!!!

Don't you wonder about the person who first tried putting snail slime on her face??

Yes, seriously Stera...

When i lived in Bangkok, Thailand, i ate a bowl of pig eyeball soup. The vitrious humor inside the eyeball is salty as the sea. I can't recommend this soup to anybody.

Oh Paul how could you ! that made my tummy turn over ,Yukky Yuk ....

At least within an hour or two or eating that soup Paul/Bathgate, you'd have the benefit of hindsight!

(Steragram and Moongrow: Seems Chilean snail farmers who exported them to France noticed that cuts etc healed without scarring as a result of handling the snails.

Actually it feels good on the face : cool and nicely-scented as it has Aloe Vera and Lemongrass added to it. )

When we had hedgehogs in the garden they certainly cut down the snail population.

Captainpaul: A friend asked "your" question says you should prevent them getting on the plant in the first place. (He would!!).

Evidently he sticks copper tape around his pots.
The tape has a serrated edge, and, as snails try to cross it a toxic reaction results giving an unpleasant electric shock sensation so the snail cannot get to the plant.

Not sure what he does about shrubs or the snails on the ground though he probably has an answer to that also!