Sluggoff lentil bait is the leading product in Europe for slug and snail control. Since its release on the local market, Australian users have been amazed at the superior effectiveness in horticulture and broadacre situations, making them an emerging favourite here too.
Sluggoff has been shown to control all pest snails and slugs at just 3kg/ha for broadacre crops such cereals and oilseeds – and 6 kg/h for high value horticulture and vineyards. This feature alone is a game changer in snail and slug control.
Pest control expert and managing director of Animal Control Technologies Dr Linton Staples says this makes Sluggoff the most effective product at the lowest use rates, resulting in cost savings and greater protections for users, pets and the environment.
The key to the product’s success were its shape and formulation which makes it more palatable and edible even by smaller snails and slugs. It is also robust, able to withstand wet weather. The distinctive lentil shape is ideal for bulk ground spreading and even aerial application, giving greater flexibility to agricultural uses.
"This shape is an important feature of the product. No other product provides such precise uniformity,” Dr Staples said. The aptly named lentil shaped Sluggoff ‘lentils’ are precisely formed in a proprietary high pressure extrusion process at a high-tech manufacturing plant in Germany then shipped fresh to Australia.
The uniform shape to give 100,000 baits per kilogram of product yet have no fine particles or dust to maximise operator safety and minimise drift during spreading.
These features mean that Sluggoff is highly effective yet achieves the desired control while putting less total chemical in the environment.
Just like the adage of ‘building a better mousetrap’, people are realising Sluggoff lentil bait is the biggest innovation in slug and snail management for many years with many advantages over other products.
“The benefits of a dust-free formulation and brilliant spreading characteristics help limit risks to operators, while achieving excellent spreading and minimising aerial or ground application costs,” Dr Staples said.
“But the most important to thing to most is the bait’s effectiveness – as proven all over Europe where it is the number one selling snail bait, and now also by commercial users and in local trials conducted by ACTA and independent authorities in South Australia and, which supported registration in Australia and NZ.
“Sluggoff Lentils are a highly palatable, rain-fast bait to control all species of slugs and snails in all crops and under all weather conditions. Yet at the same time it uses less chemical per hectare than other products. It is a win/win all round.”
Dr Staples said apart from the unique palatable bait shape, the key difference between Sluggoff and many other snail baits is that most metaldehyde products are simple compressed pellets coated in 1.5% w/w metaldehyde. Most of these are known to work poorly under moist conditions.
“Metaldehyde breaks down in sunlight, so surface coated pellets may degrade in Summer conditions. In contrast Sluggoff Lentil bait has 3% (w/w) metaldehyde with the active ingredient impregnated right throughout the entire palatable bait matrix.
“Application rates are as high as 20kg/ha for broadacre crops with these baits, and even then, several treatments may be required. Since most baits are only surface coated with metaldehyde, some taste aversion has been reported.”
Sluggoff Lentil bait is available to all major rural merchants and horticultural product providers and is expected to be in big demand this season, so resellers need to get their orders in. Packaging includes a variety of sizes for all agricultural applications.
Most users appreciate the convenience and safety of the 2, 4 or 8kg resealable pails with tamper-evident lids and the 20kg bags with pourer spouts and carry handles, while aerial operators appreciate the convenience and quick loading capability of the 500kg bulka bags.
