Scientists in the SLIMERS project are gearing up to restart their slug feeding trials after the summer break, which means that we will shortly be sending out more Slug Scout packs to those waiting to get involved.
Any slugs received over the summer have been taken care of in the insectory at John Innes Centre near Norwich, enjoying a diet of Chinese cabbage with small quantities of cat food for protein ahead of the trials.
A BIG thank you
Firstly, we want to thank everyone who has participated so far. Your contributions have been invaluable and helped us make great strides in our research. Grey field slugs are often spotted in gardens but are a major pest for arable farmers causing £43.2m worth of damage to crops every year. By taking part as a Slug Scout, you are contributing to the project which aims to find more sustainable ways to control slugs, including finding ‘slug resistant’ varieties of wheat.
With a huge amount of media coverage in recent months we’ve seen an incredible amount of interest in the project, and we’re so grateful for your interest! We will be sending out another batch of packs soon to as many people on our waiting list as possible.
What’s new in the Slug Scout packs?
To accommodate our growing community, we’ve updated our participation packs. Here’s what you can expect:
- Slug Scout pocket guide: Clear guidelines on how to identify grey field slugs
- Postage guidance: Instructions on how to package up your haul safely
- Labels: Easy-to-use labels to cover the postage for your slugs
- Freebies: A fun Slug Scout badge and some stickers to show our appreciation!
A small request
We do ask that you find your own container for the slugs and that you will send at least 10 (ideally more) grey field slugs. Takeaway tubs work perfectly as long as they have a tight-fitting lid. Additionally, please find a ‘Jiffy’ postage bag to send your slugs in – feel free to recycle one you already have!
Thank you for being a part of the SLIMERS project.