What's the deal with snails - no, not "escargot" - the garden deals that stick to houses, plants,

[UTUSN]

yes, and all other matter of materials such as plastic/resin chairs?!1

They appear to CLUSTER together, are they SOCIAL? Plus is it that they suck the life out of plants? Just knocked about a half dozen off a sapling, is that wrong?

So, what are they doing to all the different things they are sticking themselves to? I'd really like to know. I mean, I love living things, and even in some mindsets all things/inanimate but would like to know stuff.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I do not understand your question...

they are living their short lives. A wonderful part of nature.

[UTUSN]

2. Apparently it's my destiny to not be understood. I never know how to rephrase to get answers:

1) Are they sucking the life out of my plants?

2) What do they get out of sticking to other things (houses, resin)?

3) What are their clusters and whatever love life about and where do their babies come from?


Do I really need to keep on?!1

[Xipe Totec]

4. Apparently, their mating ritual is a clusterfuck. nt

[Frustratedlady]

6. That slime is how they glide on things. They'll climb up a house after dark and mate along the way.

When they installed a new a/c several years ago, the guys came and asked if they could have the snails they found under the cement pad. They said they would make great bait for fishing. They were several inches long. Of course, I gladly let them have them.

I'll be run out of town, but I put a line of ice cream salt down and that took care of most of them.

[UTUSN]

7. "gladly" puts us on the same wave length!1 They give me a creepy feeling, but would like to know why

[underthematrix]

3. I understand what you mean. I pour bleach on them and

that seems to melt thme away.

[UTUSN]

5. Well, you *do* get me more than some, although bleach is harsh for me. I've heard of beer

[underthematrix]

8. I don't have beer because I don't drink alcohol.

But I clean a lot so I have bleach.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Set out a saucer of beer. They'll climb into it and drown.

But I suppose they die happy.

[csziggy]

10. A show I watched on CuriosityStream last night had snails climbing to the top

To catch a breeze to cool off. In the hot weather in the area (some part of France that gets very dry and attracts African birds) it is much hotter on the ground than up on the tops of the plants so the snails climb up.

Sorry - don't know the name of the show. If I find it, I'll post it later.

[hunter]

11. We used to have a serious snail problem...

... snails would be everywhere on a foggy day and there were certain plants they'd simply destroy.

I didn't use snail bait because we have dogs. We tried everything else.

That was until starlings reached this part of California.

Starlings eat snails. They don't seem interested in seeds at all here, never visiting our bird feeder. Apparently seed eating is an adaptation to freezing weather, when all the insects are gone.

Both snails and starlings are invasive species but I much prefer the starlings.

[UTUSN]

12. I like the way you think things out, thanks!1