Ground beetles for slugs
Large ground beetles such as Pterostichus melanarius and Abax parallelepipedus prey mostly on slugs, carabids also eat slug eggs, and the larvae of P. melanarius are significant slug predators too. In one small-plot trial, A. parallelepipedus and P. madidus were as effective as the slug-pellet chemical methiocarb (reviewed in Barua et al. 2021). But they hunt on the soil surface, and A. parallelepipedus was less effective at catching slugs up in mature lettuce in polythene tunnels. UC IPM says slug predators are rarely effective enough on their own in a garden, so count them as help, not a cure.
Before you act
Shiny, dark, long-legged beetles that run for cover when a stone, board or pot is lifted. They hunt at night on the soil surface, and both adults and larvae eat slugs, caterpillars and the eggs and larvae of soil pests. How to recognise it, what it is confused with and how to keep it around are on the full Ground beetles profile.
Other controls for slugs
No other reviewed control is listed for this pest yet.