This feeding often causes the leaves to split lengthwise, leaving a tattered appearance. If mucus trails or split leaves are seen, slugs can usually be found hiding during the day under stones, clods, and plant debris. The most troublesome slug in corn is the gray garden slug which is 1 to 2 cm long, gray, legless and slimy. Damage to corn is most serious in May and June before the plants are well established. Treatments with a molluscicide are too expensive to be practical in field corn.
Slugs are very dependent on moisture and organic matter on or near the soil surface.
Slugs are most likely to be a problem under wet conditions, following late spring ploughing of red clover, and on fields with considerable crop residue. Moving trash away from seedlings may help to reduce damage. Insects in Stored Grain Stored grain insects - Surveys have shown that stored grain in county elevators and on farms in Ontario have the heaviest insect infestations of any region in Canada. For control measures, see section Insects in Farm Stored Grain under Cereal Crops, Insect section.