Differential susceptibility of species of slugs to metaldehyde/bran and to methiocarb baits

Summary Laboratory experiments were designed to study differential susceptibility of nine species of slugs to metaldehyde/bran and to methiocarb baits. Differential susceptibility was found between some of the species for each type of bait, both immediately after baiting and also after a 48 h recovery period. Thus neither type of bait is suitable for use in ecological investigations. This conclusion was supported by evidence that interspecific behavioural interactions occurred when metaldehyde, but not methiocarb, baits were used.At the same time the relative efficiency of the two types of baits as molluscicides was estimated. Methiocarb was shown to be a better molluscicide because, not only did it initially poison more slugs than did metaldehyde, but also a number of the slugs initially poisoned by metaldehyde recovered during the following 48 h period, whereas this did not happen with methiocarb. The similarity between these results and those obtained from field experiments by other workers is discussed.     

Slug activity in relation to weather

Multiple regression analysis was carried out on the effect of certain meteorological factors on the numbers of slugs attracted by metaldehyde and bran biscuits at Cardiff in the autumn months. By far the greatest reduction in the variance in numbers of slugs attracted each morning was achieved by taking out the effects of two factors: (1) the length of time the biscuits had been exposed, and (2) the average night air temperature. The percentage relative humidity considered alone had little effect on the variance. Regression coefficients, at each site, for factors (I) and (2) on slug numbers appeared to be in close agreement and it is suggested that these figures would serve as a measure of slug activity. Arion hortensis behaved differently from the other species studied, its day-to-day variation in numbers not being tied so closely to the meteorological factors examined.
Methods of assessing slug numbers in the field usually rely on the animals' activity. Barnes & Weil (1944) made direct counts on the slugs observable in half-hourly periods, and Thomas (1944) based estimates of the number attracted to metaldehyde and bran biscuits overnight; Duthoit (1961) used baits of wheat seed in making weekly estimates. Measures of activity, however, may be less directly related to the actual population present than to day-to-day climatological variations. The aim of the work described below was to find if it was possible to arrive at more reproducible population estimates by using standard slug biscuits, and allowing for the effect of some of the meteorological variables.     

The fumigant effect of metaldehyde on slugs

The fumigant effect of metaldehyde on slugs is confirmed and shown almost certainly to be caused by impure metaldehyde breaking down to the volatile parent monomer, acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde was slightly more toxic to Agriolimax reticulatus than to Arion hortensis.     

TRANSMISSION OF LIQUORICE ROT OF CARROTS BY SLUGS

Three slug species (Arion hortensis, Deroceras reticulationand Milax budapestensis) have been shown to transmit liquoricerot of carrots (Mycocentrospora acerina) in the laboratory.The transmission was not consistent, and the association notlong-term, so that the importance of slugs as vectors in thefield is likely to be minimal. (Received 12 December 1983;     

Observations on the effects of distribution and numbers of slug pellets on the catch of slugs

Thirty comparisons were made of the catch of different numbers of slug pellets and the effect of meteorological factors on them. Ten pellets/2 1/2 ft (0.75 m) gave the greatest catch although, economically, the best treatment was from two to five pellets for Agriolimax reticulatus ; for Arion hortensis and Milax budapestensis the return per pellet was low. Throughout the year only 16.6% of the catch variance was removed by meteorological factors.     

The influence of weather upon the activity of slugs

Summary The activity of slugs was measured by a catch per unit effort sampling system based upon night searching, and was related to the microclimatological conditions in the habitat by regression analysis. The activity of Arion hortensis Fér., Arion subfuscus (Drap.), Arion lusitanicus Mab., Milax budapestensis (Hazay), and of all slugs irrespective of species, was found to be best related to temperature and vapour pressure deficit. The relevance of these results to the application of effective methods for the control of slugs is discussed.     

CONCENTRATIONS OF METALS (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ca) IN SIX SPECIES OF BRITISH TERRESTRIAL GASTROPODS NEAR A DISUSED LEAD AND ZINC MINE

Heavy metal concentrations in 6 terrestrial slug species inhabitinga disused Pb/Zn mine site were measured by atomic absorptionspectrophotometry. Differences in metal accumulation patternswere such that the species could be ranked in order of overallmetal accumulation capability: Arion hortensis < Deocerasreticulatum < Milax budapestensis < Arion ater < Derocerascaruanac < Arion subfuscus. Species belonging to the samegenus were widely separated by this simple ranking scheme. Theresults are discussed in the context of inter-species competitionand resource partitioning, and cautionary comments are madeconcerning the utility of slugs as biomonitors of terrestrialheavy metal pollution. (Received 25 November 1987; accepted 2 January 1988)     

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON DAMAGE TO POTATOES BY SLUGS

The garden slug, Arion hortensis Fér., and the keeled slugs, Milax spp., are the slugs mainly responsible for primary damage to potato tubers in the south-west of England. A variety trial clearly demonstrated the existence of significant differences in susceptibility to slug attack between the three varieties tested. Arran Banner was the most damaged variety, Arran Peak the least, while Majestic occupied an intermediate position. Varietal differences in the amount and time of damage to tubers were associated with differences in the dates of maturity, and little damage occurred prior to the maturing of the tuber. The results confirm the need for prompt lifting of the potato crop on maturity, in order to avoid damage by slugs.     

The inhibitory effects of the molluscicide metaldehyde on feeding, locomotion and faecal elimination of three pest species of terrestrial slug

Single meals on maize flour pellets containing 0, 0·5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8% metaldehyde were analysed in Arion hortensis (agg), Deroceras reticulatum and Deroceras caruanae, by attaching the pellets to a mechanical transducer from which signals were ultimately fed into a BBC microcomputer for on-line analysis. Post-feeding tests were used to investigate toxic effects of metaldehyde and the recovery of slugs was examined daily for 7 days. Bite rates were slightly lower and more irregular on metaldehyde meals especially in A. hortensis. The meal length and number of bites per meal were markedly inhibited by metaldehyde and inversely proportional to the concentration. The size of the bites was also reduced, by about 30%, in meals on 6% pellets compared with 0%. Clear symptoms of poisoning became evident during the meal or normally in the 16-min test period immediately afterwards. In these tests slugs which fed on metaldehyde pellets showed a disruption of their ability to right themselves (after being placed on their side), less activity and a reduced probability of accepting a ‘dummy’ pellet containing no metaldehyde. It is hypothesised that feeding is prematurely terminated primarily because of the toxic effects of the metaldehyde and that aversion also acts to terminate the meal early, by decreasing the probability of continuing to feed as the meal proceeds. At higher concentrations of metaldehyde aversion may be more important than the toxic effects in ending the meal. Faecal elimination is delayed after metaldehyde meals and this contributes to mortality. The estimated lethal doses were about 0·2 mg/g body weight of slug in Deroceras spp. A. hortensis was less susceptible. To increase the likelihood of a lethal dose being ingested the inhibition of feeding needs to be overcome, at least partly, and the results presented indicate the need for a bait formulation which reduces the rate of absorption of the molluscicide from the gut.     

Slug foraging behaviour: Attraction to food items from a distance

Slug foraging paths recorded using time lapse video techniques under infra-red light were fitted to a correlated random walk model. Analyses were carried out on slugs in arenas where no food was present, as well as those containing commercial molluscicides at two rates of application. Slugs were found to search randomly in empty arenas and those containing commercial metaldehyde baits, but deviated from random search patterns when in the presence of commercial methiocarb bait. Differential attraction from a distance is suggested as a cause of these differences.     

Complementary video and acoustic recordings of foraging by two pest species of slugs on non-toxic and molluscicidal baits

The effects of adding the molluscicides methiocarb and metaldehyde to pelleted foods on the encounter, acceptance, feeding and post-meal stages of the foraging sequence of the slugs Deroceras reticulatum and Arion distinctus have been studied using two complementary laboratory techniques - video and acoustic recordings. Whereas non-feeding slugs encountered wheat grains at random, slugs which fed on wheat grains or pellets encountered them more frequently because of changes in locomotor pattern and olfactory attraction. Slugs would almost always feed on the first pellet they found, regardless of the presence or absence of molluscicide: thereafter they fed on only one pellet in every four encountered. Far fewer slugs accepted wheat grains. Slugs ate much less from pellets containing molluscicide, and meals were more irregular. The relative amounts of non-toxic pellets of various types which were eaten gave no indication of the relative amounts eaten when molluscicide was added. Meal length did not correlate well with meal size on different pellet types because softer pellets were eaten faster. Most Deroceras fed several times on non-toxic pellets or pellets containing methiocarb, although subsequent meals were shorter than the first meal. Most returned to shelters by dawn. In contrast, metaldehydefed slugs were rapidly immobilised; they seldom fed again, moved little, and few regained shelter. Arion were also inhibited after methiocarb meals but Deroceras were not. Arion distinctus moved less, ate less during a meal, and had fewer meals on nontoxic baits than Deroceras reticulatum.     

Development of a toxic bait for control of eastern lubber grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

This study assessed baits for eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea guttata (Houttuyn). When offered a choice among several grain-based baits (rolled oats, wheat bran, oat bran, yeast, corn meal, cornflakes) and vegetable oils (canola, corn, peanut, soybean), eastern lubber grasshopper adults preferred bait consisting of wheat bran carrier with corn oil as an added phagostimulant. Other carriers were accepted but consumed less frequently. Discrimination by eastern lubber grasshoppers among oils was poor. Similarly, addition of flavorings (peppermint, anise, lemon, banana) resulted in few significant effects. The carbaryl, wheat bran, and oil bait developed in this study was effective at causing eastern lubber grasshopper mortality in field-cage studies. Significant mortality occurred even though grasshoppers had to locate dishes of bait in a large cage, and could feed on daylilies, or grass growing through the bottom of the cage, rather than on the bran flakes. Consumption of as little as a single carbaryl-treated bran flake could induce mortality, although individuals varied greatly in their susceptibility. The bait matrix developed in this study was readily consumed when in the presence of some plant species. We expect that wheat bran and corn oil bait would be most effective as protection for less preferred plants (tomato, pepper, eggplant, leek, parsley, fennel, daylily, lily of the Nile, and canna lily) because baits were readily consumed in the presence of these plants. Plants that are readily consumed in the presence of bait (preferred plants) included butter crunch lettuce, carrot, yellow squash, cauliflower, collards, green onion, chive, cucumber, cabbage, cantalope, endive, red leaf lettuce, society garlic, caladium, and amaryllis. Baits are likely to be less effective in the presence of such plants. On average, vegetables in Solanaceae (i.e., tomato, pepper, and eggplant) and Apiaceae (i.e., fennel and parsley) elicited high levels of bait-feeding activity, indicating that these vegetables were not highly preferred. The plants tested from Liliaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Asteraceae, and Brassicaceae elicited an intermediate-to-low level of bait feeding.     

A method to study slug predation on seedlings in the field

Dandelion is a common Asteraceae species that populates disturbed sites and gaps within swards where it becomes an important competitor of grasses. The natural control against dandelion includes seedling predation, with slugs, particularly Arion lusitanicus, being the most important in the Czech Republic. However, the study of slug seedling consumption is difficult because naturally established seedlings are not always available. Therefore, we developed a method of exposing laboratory‐grown seedlings as bait for slug predation. Dandelion seeds were sown in plastic cups containing a bottom layer of moist substrate. The emerged seedlings were thinned to 20 and displayed in an open area. During 2008–2010, the seedling baits were placed at 15 sites at 1 month intervals throughout the dandelion vegetative season, in parallel with plasticine baits that monitored slug feeding activity. For each 1 month interval, seedling survival was observed for a period of 8 days, and the estimated time to death was calculated; the percentage of surviving seedlings was then recorded. This method of seedling presentation demonstrated that local and temporal variation in seedling survival is correlated with slug feeding activity. The advantage of this technique is that the seedlings in baits may be presented at any place and time, as required by the experimental design; however, we found that the estimated time to seedling death was shorter for the exposed baits than for the naturally established seedlings. The method is suitable for the study of plant species other than dandelion, and also for aims other than the study of spatiotemporal trends in seedling consumption by slugs.     

Mortality and oviposition of western cherry fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) exposed to different insecticide baits for varying periods in the presence and absence of food

Spinosad bait is used to control western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), by killing flies before they oviposit. However, effects of different insecticide baits on management of reproductively mature flies are largely unknown. Objectives here were to determine mortality and oviposition of reproductively mature R. indifferens exposed to different insecticide baits for varying periods in the presence and absence of dried yeast extract and sucrose food. Spinosad bait (spinosad in a mix of protein, sugar, and other ingredients) was compared with acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid in sucrose or Nu-Lure + sucrose bait. When flies were exposed to treatments and then offered cherries, Prunus avium (L.) L., for oviposition or when they were exposed to treatments and cherries simultaneously, both thiamethoxam bait and imidacloprid bait resulted in higher mortality and lower oviposition than spinosad bait and acetamiprid bait. Exposures to thiamethoxam bait and imidacloprid bait for six and 24 h were similarly effective, but 6-h exposures to spinosad bait and acetamiprid bait were less effective than 24-h exposures. There was little difference between sucrose and Nu-Lure + sucrose baits. When food was present, thiamethoxam bait and imidacloprid bait caused greater mortality and lower oviposition than spinosad bait and acetamiprid bait, but when food was absent, patterns were less consistent. Because of its ability to kill flies sooner after it is exposed to flies when food is present or absent, thiamethoxam or imidacloprid in sucrose or Nu-Lure bait may reduce infestations in cherries more than spinosad bait when mature R. indifferens are present in orchards.     

The rhabditid nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita as a potential biological control agent for slugs

A nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, known to be associated with slugs but not previously thought to be parasitic, was shown to be a parasite capable of killing the pest slug Deroceras reticulatum. The parasite infects slugs in the area beneath the mantle surrounding the shell, causing a disease with characteristic symptoms, particularly swelling of the mantle. Infection leads to death of the slug, usually between seven and 21 days afterwards. The nematode then spreads and multiplies in the cadaver. In an experiment where individual D. reticulatum were exposed to different numbers of P. hermaphrodita, a significant positive relationship was found between nematode dose and slug mortality. In two experiments on host range, the nematode was found to infect and kill all pest slug species tested: Deroceras caruanae, Arion distinctus, Arion silvaticus, Arion intermedius, Arion ater, Tandonia sowerbyi and T. budapestensis, in addition to D. reticulatum.     

Influence of toxic bait type and starvation on worker and queen mortality in laboratory colonies of Argentine ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The efficacy of toxic baits should be judged by their ability to kill entire ant colonies, including the colony queen or queens. We studied the efficacy of four toxic baits to the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). These baits were Xstinguish that has the toxicant fipronil, Exterm-an-Ant that contains both boric acid and sodium borate, and Advion ant gel and Advion ant bait arena that both have indoxacarb. Experimental nests contained 300 workers and 10 queen ants that were starved for either 24 or 48 h before toxic bait exposure. The efficacy of the toxic baits was strongly influenced by starvation. In no treatment with 24-h starvation did we observe 100% worker death. After 24-h starvation three of the baits did not result in any queen deaths, with only Exterm-an-Ant producing an average of 25% mortality. In contrast, 100% queen and worker mortality was observed in colonies starved for 48 h and given Xstinguish or Exterm-an-Ant. The baits Advion ant gel and Advion ant bait arena were not effective against Argentine ants in these trials, resulting in <60% mortality in all treatments. Because of the strong influence of starvation on bait uptake, control efficacy may be maximized by applying bait when ants are likely to be starved. Our results suggest queen mortality must be assessed in tests for toxic bait efficacy. Our data indicate that of these four baits, Xstinguish and Exterm-an-Ant are the best options for control of Argentine ants in New Zealand.     

Testing baits prepared from by‐product of the shrimp and snow crab industry in the pot fishery for Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pollachius virens (Linnaeus, 1758)

In a study between October and November 2015 in northern Norway, bait prepared from the by‐product of the shrimp and snow crab industry was employed in the pot fishery to capture cod and saithe. Frozen natural herring was used as control bait. Pots with the three bait types were placed 1,000 m apart in order to eliminate the risk of interaction between the different baits. In total 11 sampling periods were conducted. There were no significant differences in catch rates between the different baits tested on cod and saithe. The manufactured bait tested in this study showed a continuous release of odours over a 14‐day period. Results show that the water content of the bait increases rapidly in the first phase of the immersion (until day 7), and the corresponding loss of bait mass (dry weight) suggest some physical disintegration (erosion) of the bait until the water content stabilizes. This study illustrates that it is possible to replace natural herring with hydrolysates from by‐products from shrimp or snow crab industry in the Norwegian pot fishery of cod and saithe.     

Feeding behaviour and mortality of the slug, Deroceras reticulatum in relation to control with molluscicidal baits containing various combinations of metaldehyde with methiocarb

In terms of control of slug pests, the differing modes of action of the two molluscicides metaldehyde and methiocarb appear to provide some advantages for the former during warm, dry weather and for the latter during cool, wet weather. With a view to exploiting these different modes of action, the feeding behaviour of Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) presented with molluscicidal baits containing various combinations of metaldehyde with methiocarb was investigated. Voluntary feeding trials conducted in the laboratory with both candidate and standard treatments (containing metaldehyde or methiocarb alone) are described. By combining the two active ingredients in certain ratios the total concentration of active ingredients may be reduced without adversely affecting the efficacy of a bait formulation in terms of slug mortality.     

Hook performance and selectivity of Eurasian perch,Perca fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Åland Archipelago,Finland

The effects of two hook‐types (circle or J hook) fished with two different baits (red worms Eisenia spp., or cyprinid fishes) were examined for deep‐hooking, catch rate, mean total length, and selectivity of Eurasian perch, Perca fluviatilis, in the Åland Archipelago, Finland. The perch population available to hook‐and‐line gear was sampled with multipanel gillnets, with panels ranging from 10 to 60 mm in stretched mesh diameter. The effect of each hook then was examined for each bait by conditioning the size distributions of hook‐and‐line catches on the size distribution of perch collected with gillnets to estimate selectivity. The proportion of deeply‐hooked perch was 4.8 times greater for J hooks (0.21) than circle hooks (0.04) baited with worms and 3.7 times greater for J hooks (0.33) than circle hooks (0.09) baited with fish. Catch rates were significantly different between the two baits but not between the two hooks, with the greatest catch rate observed for the circle hook baited with worms. There was no significant difference in perch total length between the two hooks, but there was a significant difference between the two baits, with the fish bait catching significantly larger perch. Perch selection peaks between the two hooks differed by only 13.8 mm, but the selection peak with fish bait (236.4 mm TL) was 119.9 mm greater than the selection peak with the worm bait (116.5 mm TL). A substantially lesser incidence of deep hooking support the conservation benefits of circle hook use for perch, especially when catch‐and‐release is practiced. Using fish baits similar in size to those used in this experiment can avoid potentially harmful interactions between relatively small perch and anglers who place little importance on catch motives but whose satisfaction is still catch‐dependent.