Hawaii Slugs "Destroyer of Vegetable Gardens"

Save a Garden, Set Up All You Can Drink "Slug Infestation": Hawaii Slugs are Alcoholics, slugs drink beer and they are likely attracted to the "yeast" and "hops", so make sure get plenty. They first go out after it rains or at night, because there are so many more  nightclubs like "The Planters" (general plants), "The Cabbage Container" (Beer Trap), and "Club Produce" (fruits and vegetables). When you feel you might have a slug infestation. You may try setting up a make-shift beer hall in your garden... Michelob, Budweiser, English 800, and more. They are especially needed for a vegetable garden, so don't throw out take out containers that you plan on tossing, because a fill of beer in a plastic container can do a world of good. A "Beer Container" for your yard filled with something strong smelling, the skunkiest cheap beers, and they'll come running on over. The slugs go to it when conditions are wet, so putting it under shade where water doesn't dilute it is key. Its like they must have been calling and texting each other to tell one another how to get there. Because if there is a huge jug of beer they can smell it a mile away, because they like get major wasted. They will climb up in the beer and get so drunk they die happily as they drown so badly in their sins. Yers, they drink themselves to death! intoxicated and driving-under-the-influence they go crash and burn. The container will look like they had a party and got slammed.

If you see yellow spots, try tossing coffee grounds on your lawn keeps them from eating the roots. Also the greens can be misted with a mixture of water , lemon joy and peppermint oil and even better a planted peppermint around the garden makes your garden less comfortable for them.

Chickens love slugs, snails, centipedes, and feel pretty special when you gave them "limace mariné" (Lee-mass ma-ree-nay) of beer marinated slugs from the garden menu.

They ATE UP ALL MY BEANS, Yes, they ate my Asian greens, collards,  and then started on my collards and mustards. That was it. I didnt plant food to feed them. 

generalist feeders, meaning they'll pretty much eat anything edible

 they're just getting a little buzz then cruising on; for many, it's their last call.

This isn't some old wives' tale, no. It's a tried-and-true method for gardeners battling those slimy buggahs that leave trails all over your precious lettuce and munch holes in your leafy greens. You ever put out a shallow dish of beer near your garden bed? If you check the next morning, you'll see the evidence: a sad, soupy collection of drowned slugs. It's effective, but there's more to this story, just like there's more to a fast-food burger than just meat and bun.

What is it about beer that these gastropods can't resist? It's not necessarily the alcohol content itself, though some sources might suggest that. The real magnet is the yeast and the fermentation by-products – the volatile compounds, the esters, the sweet, malty aroma (Garden Organic Study. 2011). To a slug, that smell is like a five-star restaurant, mimicking the scent of rotting fruit and fermenting vegetation, which is exactly what they're looking for in their natural foraging (SimplySeed. 2022). They're drawn to it with an almost irresistible pull, like people drawn to the golden arches for convenience and affordability (McDonald's branding. 1970s).

So, you set up a little "slug bar" in your garden. You take a shallow container – a yogurt cup, an old tuna can, whatever – and you sink it into the soil so the rim is just above the surface (to prevent beneficial insects from falling in. 2024). Pour in about an inch or two of cheap beer (no need for the fancy craft stuff, slugs ain't picky, though some studies suggest lagers and stouts with higher yeast content are more effective. MDPI. 2025). The slugs, cruising around at night (they're mostly nocturnal, remember), catch a whiff of that yeasty goodness. They crawl right over the edge, into the liquid, and that's usually where their journey ends. They get a little "sloshy," can't climb back out of the slick sides, and eventually drown.

Now, some might say, "But wait, do they just get drunk and leave?" (Laidback Gardener. 2015). And yeah, a small percentage might take a sip and somehow crawl out, but the majority that enter the trap don't escape. The idea is to lure them away from your plants and into the trap, essentially diverting their destructive munching to a controlled, fatal feast.

However, just like any solution, it's not without its nuances or potential downsides. While effective for localized control, some research suggests that beer traps might also attract slugs from a wider area than they would normally travel, potentially increasing the overall slug population in your immediate vicinity (Laidback Gardener. 2015). It's a bit of a trade-off, like the convenience of fast food attracting more customers, even with the associated health critiques. You might catch a lot, but you might also be calling in reinforcements, leading to a constant battle. That means you gotta be consistent, checking and refilling those traps every few days to keep them effective.

So, slugs do indeed "drink" beer, drawn by that irresistible yeast and fermentation aroma. It's a simple, non-chemical method for pest control that plenty of gardeners swear by, proving that even the lowliest creatures have a taste for the finer, or at least the fermenting, things in life.