Pesticides and Dogs Don't Mix

But with those April showers come some slimy and not so welcome pests: Slugs.

Slugs will eat what they like, and they aren't picky. They enjoy petunias, chrysanthemums, daisies, lobelia, lilies, daffodils, narcissus, gentians, primroses, begonias, hollyhocks, and irises. If you have these flowers growing next to your house you might need to prepare for a slimy onslaught.

You might not have any flowers and think you're escaping the slow-moving destruction, wrong. Even if you have veggies stored in your basement or cellar, the slugs might still come. They enjoy ruining carrots, peas, apples, and cabbage.

Combatting slugs can be hard work (especially in damp places like Western Washington!); you'd think it would be easy to target something that moves so slowly, but you'd be wrong.

Slug bait is a great solution, but there can be some serious challenges. Our French Bulldog friend, Angel, thought that slug bait was a tasty treat and proceeded to eat it up. Within a few hours, she had to be taken to the hospital.

After returning home, Angel found the slug bait in the shed and decided to try it again. So we had to take her out to the hospital once more.

Angel is fine now (and the slug bait is gone), but that was a big scare for us and our four-legged friend.

This just goes to show that chemical solutions to insect issues can be hazardous to our animal friends as well as the pests. Luckily there is a pet-friendly solution.

DE can be applied on your patio or deck, in your terrarium or along the window ledges and door sills. Just follow some of these simple tips to keep the slimy ones away. Crawling Insect Control DE uses 100% diatomaceous earth and is chemical-free.

If you live in a really damp area, DE might not be the best way to squish the slug problem. But before you go for some poisonous slug bait, you might be better off spraying some, get this, brewed coffee on your patio's potted plants.