Hugely popular gardening material made ILLEGAL from today – what to use instead
A BAN on slug pellets that has been three years in the making comes into force today - meaning gardeners are forbidden from using the product from now on.
The pellets, which have been used since the 1940s to keep slugs off of certain areas in the garden, contain metaldehyde - a toxic compound that kills slugs, snails and other gastropods.
However, metaldehyde has also been found to poison the animals that eat the slugs, including birds, hedgehogs and dogs.
Now gardeners will be forced to seek alternative ways to keep slugs out of their greenery - with beer a popular and effective choice.
An experiment by horticultural charity Garden Organic found that slugs are 64 times more likely to be caught in a trap containing lager than one containing water.
And when it comes to what kind of beer the slugs are most attracted to, a bitter is top of the list.
Read more Gardening stories
The slimy critters aren't fussy about which brand the beer is, but won't go for any other alcoholic drink, such as wine or cider.
"Slugs love lager," Emma O’Neill, Garden Organic's head gardener, said.
"Many gardeners know that slugs are confirmed lager louts and their love of this tipple can certainly distract them from your plants.
"The smell of lager and bitter really seems to attract them."
Most read in Fabulous
If you aren't keen on the idea of using your beer as a slug repellent then you can make up a substitute from yeast, flour, sugar and water, according to gardeningknowhow.com.
Copper tape can also be used to keep slugs off of plants, while raised beds are also a good idea.
The government has also recommend alternative ways of keeping pests away from gardens, such as sowing seeds more deeply in the soil and planting slug-resistant crops.
And Garden Organic's chief executive Fiona Taylor is hopeful that the slug pellet ban is a sign of things to come.
"We are pleased that the government has listened to safety and environment experts about the huge risks of this chemical, which far outweigh any benefits," she said.
Read More on The Sun
"We hope this is the start of a range of measures which sees an end to the use of harmful pesticides.
"If we care about wildlife and the future of our planet, we must make the positive move to organic, environmentally friendly methods for our gardens, allotments, balconies and pots."