Throwing snails.

['andersom']

throwing snails 20 metres.

Throwing snails 20 metres away may save your plants
New research has shown that snails lose their ability to find their way back to a garden if tossed more than 65 feet away
Frustrated gardeners often deploy a range of imaginative strategies to tackle snails and slugs, including chemical pellets, beer traps, egg shells and simply stamping on the creatures
Frustrated gardeners often deploy a range of imaginative strategies to tackle snails and slugs, including chemical pellets, beer traps, egg shells and simply stamping on the creatures Photo: ALAMY

Gardeners struggling to protect their plants from snails should develop a strong throwing arm to tackle the pests.

New research has shown that throwing snails at least 65 feet out of the garden is as beneficial as killing the molluscs.

Scientists found snails placed within a 20 metre (65 feet) radius can use a "homing instinct" to find their way back to a a patch of ground while those moved further away almost always failed to find their way back.

It comes after a recent survey showed that a fifth of gardners admit to lobbing snails over the fence into a neighbour's garden.

Frustrated gardeners often deploy a range of imaginative strategies to tackle snails and slugs, including chemical pellets, beer traps, egg shells and simply stamping on the creatures.

READ: The Laskett gardens: Paradise remade

However, the new study, published in the journal Physica Scripta, found there was little advantage for gardeners in killing the snails they discovered in their flower beds, as they are part of a much larger population coming in and out of the garden.

Even systematic search and kill missions would take months to bring down the total population significantly.

Instead the researchers found that it was possible to reduce numbers temporarily to protect young plants by simply throwing them over a wall or up to 16 feet away.

Moving the creatures more than 65 feet away will cause the snails to almost completely fail to find their way back and the researchers suggest gardners could benefit from "a stronger throwing arm or mechanically-assisted lobbing".

But the researchers said it might be better for neighbourly relations to take the snails to a nearby wasteland, rather than shifting the problem into nearby gardens.

Study co-author Professor David Dunstan, from Queen Mary University of London, said: "We showed that the number of snails regularly or irregularly visiting a garden is many times greater than the number actually present at any one time in the garden.

"As such, gardeners shouldn't be setting out to eliminate snails from their gardens. To achieve such a feat would require a gardener to rid the whole neighbourhood of snails, which would be a slow process.

"Gardeners should be setting out to minimise the damage done by snails, which our results showed could be quickly achieved by simply removing the snails over 20 metres away."

He added: "A recent poll by the Royal Horticultural Society showed that one in five gardeners in the UK have thrown snails into their neighbours' gardens.

"Whilst our study shows that this may be more beneficial than actually killing them, we believe the gardening community would benefit as a whole by removing the snails to a convenient wasteland rather than passing the burden onto their neighbours."

Co-author Dr Dave Hodgson, from the University of Exeter, discovered with amateur scientist Ruth Brooks in 2010 that snails have a homing instinct.

Prof Dunstan's research began with an experiment in 2001 in which snails found in a small suburban garden were marked and thrown five metres over a brick wall and into wasteland.

Every time they returned they were given another mark on their shell and lobbed into the wasteland again. A total of 416 snails were marked and thrown over the wall 1,385 times over six months.

Previously suffering plants such as hostas thrived under the regime, suggesting it was keeping the number of snails at a reduced level.

Dr Hodgson and Prof Dunstan have analysed the results through a computer model which simulated snail behaviour and found they could only replicate what happened in real life if they gave the snails a "homing instinct".

In the second year of the experiment, the snails were numbered and even-numbered snails were thrown over the wall, and odd-numbered snails taken four doors up the road to a garden around 20 metres away.

Virtually none of the snails that were taken further afield came back to the garden, the study found.

[Icequeen]

They actually researched this? I used the relocation method with chipmunks.

Catch chipmunk, take for 5 minute car ride and drop off in front of someone else's house.

I still say getting them drunk is much more fun.

Seriously would you rather die by being, poisoned, crushed, catapulted, cut up by egg shells, or while drinking beer?

I vote for beer.

[Parts]

I never used it but always liked the way they left nothing to the imagination with this product



Although if I had a problem with snails I would just toss them into the neighbors yard that I don't like

["couldbecousin"]

  Beware causing harm to the wee creatures, lest ye incur their slimy wrath!    I'll be back, fucker!

[Queen Victoria]

I thought this might be about throwing up after eating escargot.   

[odeon]

I also vote for beer. For me.

['andersom']

They actually researched this? I used the relocation method with chipmunks.

Catch chipmunk, take for 5 minute car ride and drop off in front of someone else's house.

I still say getting them drunk is much more fun.

Seriously would you rather die by being, poisoned, crushed, catapulted, cut up by egg shells, or while drinking beer?

I vote for beer.

I've tried beer traps, one year. I have a small garden. And the beer brought all the snails to my yard, so I ended up with more than I had to begin with, and the neighbours had less. Now I just let them be, most of the time, pick them from the plants I really don't want them on, but the others can stay where they are.

I posted it because they did actually research it. The visual of men seriously tossing marked snails over a wall for six month was tickling my funny bones. And then numbering and sorting uneven from even snails made me grin even more.
I admit, I would not have mind at all, being part of the research team. 

[Semicolon]

  Beware causing harm to the wee creatures, lest ye incur their slimy wrath!    I'll be back, fucker!

Such language! That snail should repent.

They actually researched this? I used the relocation method with chipmunks.

Catch chipmunk, take for 5 minute car ride and drop off in front of someone else's house.

I still say getting them drunk is much more fun.

Seriously would you rather die by being, poisoned, crushed, catapulted, cut up by egg shells, or while drinking beer?

I vote for beer.

I've tried beer traps, one year. I have a small garden. And the beer brought all the snails to my yard, so I ended up with more than I had to begin with, and the neighbours had less. Now I just let them be, most of the time, pick them from the plants I really don't want them on, but the others can stay where they are.

I posted it because they did actually research it. The visual of men seriously tossing marked snails over a wall for six month was tickling my funny bones. And then numbering and sorting uneven from even snails made me grin even more.
I admit, I would not have mind at all, being part of the research team. 

Do they suggest building a snail catapult?

[Icequeen]

  Beware causing harm to the wee creatures, lest ye incur their slimy wrath!    I'll be back, fucker!

Such language! That snail should repent.

They actually researched this? I used the relocation method with chipmunks.

Catch chipmunk, take for 5 minute car ride and drop off in front of someone else's house.

I still say getting them drunk is much more fun.

Seriously would you rather die by being, poisoned, crushed, catapulted, cut up by egg shells, or while drinking beer?

I vote for beer.

I've tried beer traps, one year. I have a small garden. And the beer brought all the snails to my yard, so I ended up with more than I had to begin with, and the neighbours had less. Now I just let them be, most of the time, pick them from the plants I really don't want them on, but the others can stay where they are.

I posted it because they did actually research it. The visual of men seriously tossing marked snails over a wall for six month was tickling my funny bones. And then numbering and sorting uneven from even snails made me grin even more.
I admit, I would not have mind at all, being part of the research team. 

Do they suggest building a snail catapult?

Moving the creatures more than 65 feet away will cause the snails to almost completely fail to find their way back and the researchers suggest gardners could benefit from "a stronger throwing arm or mechanically-assisted lobbing".

Not in so many words...but I think a catapult would be a bit cool.

['andersom']

Catapult is not the preferred way of travelling for snails, I think. They have no breaking systems to get a soft landing.

[Jack]

They actually researched this? I used the relocation method with chipmunks.

Catch chipmunk, take for 5 minute car ride and drop off in front of someone else's house.

I still say getting them drunk is much more fun.

Seriously would you rather die by being, poisoned, crushed, catapulted, cut up by egg shells, or while drinking beer?

I vote for beer.

When first reading this, thought you meant the chipmunks.

["couldbecousin"]

Catapult is not the preferred way of travelling for snails, I think. They have no breaking systems to get a soft landing.

        About time somebody thought about US for a change!  We have feelings too!

['andersom']

Catapult is not the preferred way of travelling for snails, I think. They have no breaking systems to get a soft landing.

        About time somebody thought about US for a change!  We have feelings too!

The French seem to pamper their snails. Maybe I should tell my snails to move to France. 

[Semicolon]

Catapult is not the preferred way of travelling for snails, I think. They have no breaking systems to get a soft landing.

        About time somebody thought about US for a change!  We have feelings too!

The French seem to pamper their snails. Maybe I should tell my snails to move to France. 

Perhaps you should attach a small cup to a piece of yarn and turn a spinning wheel into a snail catapult. You could make a hobby out of building snail-launching siege weapons.

[odeon]

Catapult is not the preferred way of travelling for snails, I think. They have no breaking systems to get a soft landing.

Such a shame.