Control strategy of a pest slug, Arion lusitanicus, by using non-toxic Ferramol

Abstract: Arion lusitanicus has become one of the major pests of Sweden, both in agriculture and gardening. Its high capacity to feed and reproduce makes this slug a difficult pest to control. Molluscicides have been used as control agents, but they have harmful effects on crops. As alternative, a non-toxic molluscicide, Ferramol, which acts by inhibiting the slug feed, were tested in this study. The efficacy of Ferramol (FePO4) in a strawberry field, located in the periphery of Lund, Sweden was studied. The application was adjusted to the lifecycle of A. lusitanicus. In the spring when slugs emerged, Ferramol was applied to control the attack on the crop plant, strawberry. For a month and half the effectiveness of different doses of this product was followed, obtaining clear results as a decrease of the number of slugs. Doses of 2.5 g/m², 5 g/m² and 2 ' 2.5 g/m² were equally efficient and the beetle fed on the slug eggs that have survived Ferramol, will be introduced in late spring early summer. To reach even more efficient A. lusitanicus control, a study using Ferramol in combination with a natural predator, a carabid beetle Pterostichus melanarius, is suggested.