Expert Guide on How to Get Rid of Snails Yourself

The UK's damp climate is ideal for snails. And while the slimy invaders don't pose a threat to human health, they can be very destructive when it comes to plants. Gardeners know what a nuisance snails can be.

So how do you get rid of them? Let's take a look at the world of snails to find out how you can protect your plants in your garden from these pests.

For most gardeners, snails and slugs are really the same battle - they damage the same plants and respond to the same approach. And the single biggest reason people don't win it is stopping too soon. Snails are persistent and keep coming through the damp months, so the trick is to layer a few methods and keep them up, focusing your effort on the vulnerable plants rather than trying to clear every snail in the garden.

What are Snails?

Snails are soft-bodied molluscs with a hard, spiral shell. The most common garden species in the UK is the common garden snail (Cornu aspersum), which thrives in damp, shady environments. Snails are most active during the night or after rain because they need moisture to avoid drying out.

Snails move using a muscular "foot" that glides on a layer of mucus, leaving behind a shiny, silvery trail. These trails are unsightly, especially when there are lots of them in your garden.

Snails feed on decaying organic matter and living plant tissue. That means they have an important role in nature when it comes to breaking down dead plants, but snails don't need your plants to be rotting to eat them. Their shell also lets them survive dry spells and winter by sealing themselves away, often clustered together in a sheltered spot. And snails reproduce rapidly, laying clusters of round, white eggs in moist soil. In warm, damp conditions, a single snail can lay hundreds of eggs per year, quickly turning a small problem into a major infestation.

What Damage do Snails do?

Snails are particularly damaging to young and fragile plants. They feed by scraping and chewing, leaving irregular holes in leaves, stems, and even flowers. Signs of snail damage include:

• Large, ragged holes in leaves or seedlings.
• Shiny mucus trails on soil, pots, and leaves.
• Missing young shoots or new growth.
• Chewed fruit or vegetables, especially strawberries, lettuce, and courgettes.

Snails can destroy seedlings overnight, making it difficult for new plants to establish. Unlike some pests that target specific crops, snails are generalist feeders. This means nearly every plant in your garden can be attacked.

They also tend to hide during the day, making them hard to spot. You'll often only realise they're a problem when the damage is already done.

How to Get Rid of Snails

Tackling snails in your garden needs persistence. These pests can be stubborn, so you'll usually need to combine several approaches and keep them going.

Remove Hiding Spots

Snails love cool, dark, moist places - and a useful thing to know is that they cluster in the same sheltered roosts and return to them: behind pots, under stones and planks, in wall crevices and along the base of fences. They're also good climbers, so check vertical surfaces, not just the ground. In dry spells and over winter they seal themselves into their shells in these spots, so clearing a cluster removes a lot of snails at once. Start by:

• Clearing away dense ground cover, fallen leaves and plant debris.
• Looking under pots, stones and planks, and along walls and fences, where snails shelter and cluster.
• Raising plant pots off the ground and trimming low-hanging foliage.

By reducing their hiding spots, you make your garden far less appealing.

Handpick Them

Don't underestimate handpicking - it's free and surprisingly effective with snails, which are easier to spot and collect than slugs. Head out after dark or after rain with a torch, and check their daytime clusters too. Drop the snails into a bucket of soapy water. A few sessions on consecutive evenings makes a real dent in their numbers.

Use Barriers and Traps

Snails dislike crossing certain surfaces. Try:

• Copper tape: attach to pots and raised beds - copper is said to react with their slime to give an unpleasant sensation.
• Crushed eggshells or grit: scatter around plants to create a rough barrier snails are reluctant to cross.
• Diatomaceous earth: a sharp, drying powder barrier - but note it only works while dry and loses its effect once damp, so it's best in dry spells or under cover.
• Beer traps: sink shallow containers of beer with the rim just above soil level (so you don't catch helpful ground beetles), and snails are drawn in and drown. Empty and refill regularly.

One thing to avoid is using salt as a barrier. It's sometimes suggested, but salt damages soil structure and harms plant roots, so it's best kept well away from your beds and borders.

Introduce Natural Predators

Encourage the wildlife that feeds on snails:

• Frogs, toads, hedgehogs and song thrushes all eat snails.
• Provide shelter like log piles or a small pond to attract them.
• Avoid pellets and chemicals that could harm these helpful creatures.

Some gardeners also use nematodes watered into the soil. These work best against slugs at soil level and are less reliable for snails, which spend a lot of time climbing - so for snails, lean more on barriers, traps and handpicking.

Use Pellets Only If Needed

If barriers, traps and handpicking aren't keeping up with the damage to seedlings, slug and snail pellets can help as a last step - but only ferric phosphate ones.

• Choose ferric phosphate-based pellets - approved for organic growing and far safer for children, pets and birds.
• Never use metaldehyde pellets: they were banned from sale and use in 2022 because they poisoned wildlife and pets.
• Use sparingly, as the label directs, concentrating them where the vulnerable plants are.

Keeping Snails in Perspective

Snails have a place in your garden's ecosystem. They're food for thrushes, frogs, toads and hedgehogs, and they help break down decaying matter so it decomposes more quickly. In fact, the RHS no longer classes snails and slugs as pests, on the grounds that they're part of a healthy, balanced garden.

The point, then, isn't to wipe snails out - you can't, and it would do your garden no favours. It's to protect the plants they damage, especially soft seedlings and young growth. Because they're persistent, getting on top of them takes a combination of methods kept up consistently: clearing hiding spots, barriers and traps, handpicking, encouraging predators, and ferric phosphate pellets where seedlings really need them. Stick with it through the damp months and you'll keep the damage down while keeping your garden healthy.

FAQs: Getting Rid of Snails

What's the best way to get rid of snails?

There isn't a single best method - a combination works best. Clear their hiding spots, put barriers and traps around vulnerable plants, handpick in the evenings, and encourage predators. Snails are persistent, so keeping it up through the damp months matters more than any one product.

Does salt kill snails, and should I use it?

Salt does kill snails, but don't use it in the garden. It damages soil structure and harms plant roots. Stick to barriers, traps, handpicking and ferric phosphate pellets instead.

Are slug and snail pellets banned?

Only metaldehyde pellets - they've been illegal to sell, store or use since 2022 because of the harm to wildlife and pets. Pellets based on ferric (iron) phosphate are legal, much safer, and approved for organic growing.

Do beer traps work for snails?

Yes - snails are drawn to the yeast and drown. Set the rim just above soil level so you don't catch helpful ground beetles, site the traps near vulnerable plants, and empty and refill them regularly.

Where do snails hide during the day?

In cool, damp, sheltered spots - under pots, stones and planks, in wall crevices and along the base of fences - often clustered together. They climb well, so check vertical surfaces too. Clearing these roosts removes a lot of snails in one go.

Are snails good for anything?

Yes - they help break down decaying matter and are an important food source for thrushes, frogs, toads and hedgehogs. That's exactly why the aim is to protect vulnerable plants rather than try to eradicate snails entirely.

How do I protect seedlings from snails?

Concentrate your defences there: a barrier (copper tape, grit or crushed eggshell) around each plant or pot, a beer trap nearby, evening handpicking, and ferric phosphate pellets sparingly if needed. Raising vulnerable plants in pots off the ground helps too.

At PestBuddy, we're here to empower you with effective, fast and easy-to-use DIY snail control products. For more on shielding your plants specifically, see our guide on how to stop snails eating plants.