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How to use slug pellets and collars

Updated: 23 October 2026

The first wet week is when these products fail: a heap of pellets, a collar fitted after the plant has spread, tape on a dirty rim, and a trap nobody empties. This page is how to use slug pellets and collars, plus the tape and the trap in the same basket. It does not choose the method. Prices are on our [snail protection comparison](/hub/pest-control/snail-protection). Products Compared used the 19 October 2026 listings and public UK sources, not a lab. The label on your tub beats every gram below. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The first wet week is when these products fail: a heap of pellets, a collar fitted after the plant has spread, tape on a dirty rim, and a trap nobody empties.

Our top picks

HanYun HanYun 12 pack collars, 21 cm

Best overall

HanYun HanYun 12 pack collars, 21 cm
8.2/10about £12.99
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Provanto Provanto Slug & Snail Killer Max 800 g

Rank 2

Provanto Provanto Slug & Snail Killer Max 800 g
9.1/10about £7.32
View offer
kanta kanta copper slug tape, 20 mm

Best value

kanta kanta copper slug tape, 20 mm
7.6/10about £3.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Scatter pellets without a heap
  2. 2.Fit a collar while the plant still fits
  3. 3.Stick a band that actually meets the slug
  4. 4.Sink the trap and empty it

Scatter pellets without a heap

The Health and Safety Executive says read the label, scatter pellets thinly, and store the pack away from children and dogs. Do not pour a pile by the stem. The Provanto amazon file does not print grams. The dose we can cite is on a Dobbies page for Protect Garden Slug Killer Max: 3.8 g per square metre, no heaps, off the leaves, at most four applications, seven days apart. That page also says showerproof for 14 days and, elsewhere, up to 10 days, so the label you hold wins. A bed of 2 metres by 1 metre at 3.8 g is under 8 g. A heap is how dogs and mice find the bait. If the tub might be metaldehyde, it goes to the council, not the compost.

Fit a collar while the plant still fits

A collar has to go on while the plant is narrow. HanYun says set it over the plant, push it in and firm the edge. A reviewer says that is harder once the plant is wide. KAHEIGN is not one size: the title says 20 cm by 12 cm, the bullets say a 26 cm side, and the technical line says 15 x 10 x 20 cm. Measure the ring. Ghligna says press the bottom 2 to 3 cm in. If leaves rest on the lip, the slug walks around the hat. Mdlooin felt is a 15 cm disc with a slit and no lip, and its technical line says 1 cm, so check the disc. Judge any pellets by new leaves, not by bodies on the path.
HanYun HanYun 12 pack collars, 21 cm

Testsieger

HanYun HanYun 12 pack collars, 21 cm
8.2/10about £12.99
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Stick a band that actually meets the slug

Clean the rim and let it dry. kanta states no length, so lay the roll out before you cut. Overlap the ends. A gap of a few millimetres is a path. A leaf, a saucer or a trailing stem outside the band is a bridge, and the slug misses the copper. That case is slug protection for hostas in pots. FACIACC mesh includes scissors and no adhesive. The bullets say glue or nails. SuQurtom is cut and pressed in. Do not copy a decking method onto Tiger Tape. Those reviews are joist tape, not this slug title.

Sink the trap and empty it

Titifeya says dig a hole, set the box in, pour in beer and fit the lid. Beer is not stated as included. Set the rim at soil level. The RHS says empty beer traps in the morning. It only catches what comes to the beer. A vet or the council takes over if a pet has eaten pellets, an old tub might be metaldehyde, slugs are indoors, or you cannot tell whether the product is a home-garden pesticide. Do not compost banned pellets.

Common questions

How thin is a pellet scatter, and where is the number?
For this brand line, Dobbies states 3.8 g per square metre for Protect Garden Slug Killer Max, with no heaps and at most four uses, seven days apart. The Provanto amazon table does not print that dose. If your label differs, the label wins. A square metre is separate pellets you can still see, not a blue patch at one stem.
Do you need to see dead slugs?
No. AHDB says feeding often stops and death is underground within about three to six days. An empty path next morning is a weak clue. Judge the new leaves. If damage continues after the label’s maximum applications, the bait has had its chance. More heaps are not a second method.
When do you fit a plastic collar?
At planting, while the leaves still sit inside the ring. HanYun reviewers find the push-in harder once the plant is wide. Firm the soil so there is no gap at ground level. A mature clump is wider than these collars. Use a rim on a pot, or accept that a ring sitting on outer leaves will fail.
How do you stop tape peeling?
Start with a clean, dry rim. kanta reviews are full of peel and tarnish within a summer, despite a weather-resistant claim. Overlap the ends. A double layer is what one tomato-pot reviewer used. Replace the band when it lifts. A leaf that bridges the rim defeats a band that is still stuck.
What if a leaf touches the outside of the pot?
The slug climbs the leaf and misses the tape or the mesh. Tuck the leaf inside, raise the pot off a wet saucer, or cut the bridge. A neat band on a leafy pot can still show holes in the morning. Hostas and dahlias are that case in full.
How do you set the beer trap, and is beer in the box?
Dig a hole, set the Titifeya box level, pour in beer and fit the lid. Beer is not stated as included. The RHS says empty traps in the morning. Three boxes cover the spots you sink, not the whole garden. If you will not check them, do not set them.
What do you do with an old metaldehyde tub?
Do not use it outdoors and do not compost it. In Great Britain, selling and using metaldehyde outdoors has been illegal from 1 April 2022. Take it through your council’s household chemical route. If you are unsure of the active, treat it as the banned product until the label says otherwise. Northern Ireland gardeners should read the label they hold.

Related pages

Slug control buying guide

Slug pellets vs copper tape

Snail protection

Best slug and snail killer: one job, not every bed

Slug protection for hostas in pots, rim before bait

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these twelve listings. Last checked 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, outdoor metaldehyde announcement (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Defra media blog, metaldehyde ban (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE, pesticides in the garden and home (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS, slugs and snails (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RHS, barrier trial write-up (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. AHDB, chemical and biological control of slugs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Which?, how to get rid of slugs and snails (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Dobbies, Protect Garden Slug Killer Max 800 g (retrieved 19 October 2026)