What's the Biggest Slug You've Ever Seen?

Ok, I'm not squeamish about slugs, and we did have our share in my old hometown of Spokane. One time, in removing an old wooden deck, my daughter and I found a clutch of clear round eggs that looked like fish eggs. Not knowing what they were, we put them in a jar and sent them to school with her since the class was studying composting and the garden life cycle. Guess what they became?

That's right, slugs. I'm happy to say that true to Patch blogger Laile di Silvestro's advice, we tossed the diminutive slugs into the compost bins so they could happily munch away and do some good.

But I'm also not afraid to admit that the Western version of this terrestrial mollusk and unliked garden pest is more impressive and widespread than it is in semi-arid Eastern Washington.

This month, I've seen a slug making its slimy way down the side of my deck (on the second floor of the building, mind you) and just last evening, I noticed this interesting specimen just outside my door.

With the wet spring, and it being early in the year, I wonder just how big this fella' or gal might get.

Are you like me, taking pictures of the big ones, or measuring the gigantic slugs? Maybe 5 inches--as I suspect this slug is when fully stretched out--isn't so big compared with what you've seen.

If you want more slug control advice and are in the Issaquah area Saturday, June 16, don't miss at The Grange.

In the meantime, please tell us, what's your biggest slug encounter, and while we're at it, what's your favorite method of control? Ducks? Coffee? Eggshells? Something we don't know about yet but need desperately?

Jeanne Gustafson is the Local Editor of Sammamish-Issaquah Patch.