Citizen science project tracks slugs as they slither north
A meadow slug, Deroceras laeve, crosses the ground in Fairbanks on June 19, 2021.
Julie Stricker
907-474-5406
April 15, 2024
It色视频下载檚 never fun to walk into your garden on a sunny Fairbanks summer day only to find cutworms have sliced your broccoli off at soil level, voles have left tiny tooth marks in your carrots or, worst of all, a moose has chomped on what was a giant cabbage.
These are common garden invaders in Interior 色视频下载, but, in the past decade, a pest that frequently eats its way through salad greens and other plants in Southcentral and Southeast 色视频下载 has also made its appearance in gardens north of the 色视频下载 Range: slugs.
Their appearance has gone mostly unnoticed, and Tamara Bell, who teaches the Fairbanks Master Gardener class, notes that her students report that slugs haven色视频下载檛 been an issue for them. But we know slugs are here, in part because we now have a tool to track them.
In 2022, Joey Slowik, an integrated pest management technician with the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, realized that little was known about the species and ranges of slugs in 色视频下载. That made it hard to track native, nonnative and invasive slugs. Working with the 色视频下载 Invasive Species Partnership, he created a where 色视频下载ns could report slugs and snails.
So far, 12 slug species have been identified in 色视频下载, Slowik said. Two common species are the meadow slug, which is a small black slug related to the common gray garden slug, and a group of slugs called the tail-droppers. Banana slugs also thrive in Southeast 色视频下载色视频下载檚 temperate rainforest. More slugs have been documented, but it色视频下载檚 uncertain whether most are native or imported, he said.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 pretty difficult to say what was here because there was never an initial slug survey,色视频下载 he said.
In 2023, thanks to the citizen reporting tool, two invasive snail species also were identified in Kodiak. The two species have probably become established.
Visit the UAF Troth Yeddha色视频下载 campus from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, to learn more about citizen science and research conducted by scientists at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks during its annual Arctic Research Open House.
Slugs play an important role in the ecosystem. Classified as shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusks, they色视频下载檙e efficient waste recyclers and eat just about anything that色视频下载檚 decomposable, such as plants, fungi and feces, Slowik said. They色视频下载檙e also cannibalistic. From a grower or consumer perspective, slugs色视频下载 largest impact is on leafy greens and other vegetables.
Most common slugs aren色视频下载檛 considered pests, unless they色视频下载檙e eating the lettuce in your garden or you色视频下载檙e growing leafy greens to sell. Meadow slugs generally live in yards or fields and are attracted to the damp earth and succulent plants in gardens. Tail-dropper slugs, so named because they can drop their tails like lizards when threatened, are attracted to fungi, and are encountered by mushroom growers and harvesters, for example.
Other slugs are more problematic. An invasive slug 色视频下载 the black arion, also formerly known as the European black slug 色视频下载 is rapidly spreading along much of 色视频下载色视频下载檚 coastline, from Southeast to the tip of the Aleutians.
The black arion is a large slug 色视频下载 up to 7 inches long 色视频下载 that can range in color from black to orange-brown to red. They were first introduced in Cordova about 40 years ago and didn色视频下载檛 move around much, Slowik said. Then in 2000, they started showing up in Juneau and Ketchikan and have since migrated to nearly every island in Southeast. Now, they色视频下载檙e being reported in Girdwood, Anchorage, King Salmon, and as far west as Unalaska and Adak. There色视频下载檚 even a population on Midun, an uninhabited island in the 色视频下载 Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
色视频下载淭hat色视频下载檚 not too surprising,色视频下载 Slowik said. 色视频下载淭hat色视频下载檚 a perfect climate for them.色视频下载
Where people go, slugs follow.
色视频下载淭he transport vector is clearly us,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淢idun is an island out in the middle of nowhere. It色视频下载檚 not getting floods, and slugs don色视频下载檛 tolerate salty water, so they色视频下载檙e not hopping on a log and riding in the ocean over there.色视频下载
On land, slugs are slowly expanding their range. Slowik said gray garden slugs have only been reported in the Salcha and Fairbanks areas in the past 10 years, although they may have been there longer. That色视频下载檚 just when people started to notice.
色视频下载淭hat one has been moving north,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 been a well-established slug in Southcentral since the 色视频下载50s, or at least that we have documentation of it. So it色视频下载檚 surprising that it色视频下载檚 taken this long to move that far north.色视频下载
The reason? Slowik said it could be a sign of a changing climate or changing agricultural practices that are allowing that slug to live north of the 色视频下载 Range. Also, our homes and gardens are interspersed with a lot of wild land, which is where most slugs live.
色视频下载淪o if a gray garden slug gets established in a lawn or a garden, they色视频下载檙e going to migrate out into the forest around them and eventually through the forest,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淭hey don色视频下载檛 migrate fast on their own legs 色视频下载 the estimate is a slug will go about six feet a day.色视频下载
If a neighbor reports slugs and your garden is still slug-free, Slowik said the best way to keep it that way is to hit them with their No. 1 limitation: moisture. For instance, he rototills a 2- to 3-foot buffer around his potato field, which keeps the vegetation down and acts as a dry moat. If it rains a lot, that buffer may be less effective, but it still works.
When designing your garden, keep moisture in mind. Raised garden beds made of wood are ideal habitats for slugs, who will dig into the moist soil to ride out the heat of the day. Likewise, walkways made out of boards essentially create slug hotels, places for them to reside when they色视频下载檙e looking for protection and moisture.
Less slug-friendly options include beds made of plastic or metal, for instance, and walkways made of gravel.
If you find slugs in your garden or lawn, especially north of the 色视频下载 Range, report them to AkPestreporter or . Also, if you see black slugs or any slug or snail that you don色视频下载檛 recognize, report them.
If you want to eliminate slugs in your garden, you can put some beer in a cup (slugs are attracted to the yeasty smell) and set it in the garden so that slugs will fall in and drown. Commercial baits are also available.
Knowing about slugs can also help keep them at bay. Slowik said he started to get reports of huge, bright orange slugs in the Rabbit Creek neighborhood in Anchorage. He investigated and discovered they were orange-colored black arion slugs.
色视频下载淏lack slugs have the bad behavior of being attracted to fecal matter,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淪o if there色视频下载檚 a dog park, that色视频下载檚 where they go. And they色视频下载檙e cannibalistic. So if you smash a black slug, a bunch of slugs will migrate out to feed on it.色视频下载
People were finding these slugs in areas littered with dog poop and smashing them, he said.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 the perfect breeding ground for all of these slugs,色视频下载 Slowik said. 色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 like a feedback loop of keeping the environment alive. It色视频下载檚 so obvious because we色视频下载檙e giving it what it loves.色视频下载
Learn about slugs
If you want to learn more about slugs, the UAF Cooperative Extension Service has a free, self-paced online . It covers the biology, impact, and management of slugs as well as tools for reporting invasive slugs in 色视频下载.
The includes several classes on invasive plants and forest pests. All course material can be viewed for free by clicking 色视频下载渧iew course content for free色视频下载 beneath the description. No registration is needed. Participants can also complete the course and pay a fee to receive .
EDITORS: More photos are .
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