The smell of the beer is the bait and once the slug enters into the hole to imbibe the brew, it will fall into the vat and drown. The same type of container will hold slug pellet bait. Keep it out of reach of animals, birds and children. Sufficient amounts ingested by slugs also will kill them. A more recent and proven barrier is strips of copper tacked around raised bed boxes.
Electrolysis occurs when the moist slug slime contacts the copper.
Make your own strips out of thin sheets of pliable copper sheeting sold at hardware stores. Attach at the top of the strip and lift the bottom edge to a 45-degree angle to enhance the barrier. The green oxidation of copper does not affect effectiveness. WSU Extension Bulletin 0968 Slug Control is available at the WSU Extension Service on the second floor of the Courthouse Annex. Send us your favorite slugs links, slug trivia, or comments.