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I have many problems with snails and slugs in my garden. When I want to plant something I usually grow it far away enough from the garden until the plant is big enough to support some "attacks".

I was quite surprised today when I found 2 slugs and one snail in a plant, around 4 meters away from the garden (grass and other plants) and that is actually hanging in a wall support. I don't think they came with the plant so they had to spot it from the garden, walk 4 meters in pavement, risking their lifes, climb the wall, and then down the support.

This makes me think that I should reassess where I make my seed plot place and makes me wonder how far can they see or how do they find plants like this?

nsn
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  • Here's an interesting article, although it doesn't expressly answer your question: http://animals.mom.me/snails-eyes-10446.html – Brenn Jun 08 '16 at 16:51
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    Note that they also have olfactory (i.e. smelling) organs ([rhinophores](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinophore)). – dakab Jun 08 '16 at 17:08
  • @dakab Your comment looks to me like the makings of a valid answer, as the last part of the question asks how, other than seeing, do they find plants. If you want to write it, I think it would be helpful and on-topic. – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL Jun 08 '16 at 21:55
  • @Sue: Thank you for encouraging me. I’d really love to give an appropriate answer. Unfortunately—as a non-native speaker—I don’t feel like I’m up to it. Not if it’s ought to satisfy a minimal (layman’s) scientific standard. However, there’s an extensive article on the **[sensory organs of gastropods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_organs_of_gastropods)**. – dakab Jun 09 '16 at 09:55
  • @dakab yes I understand... but the question remains. How far can they smell. And can they smell directionaly?. It's quite amazing they ended up there. – nsn Jun 10 '16 at 15:13
  • Thinking scientifically, maybe 2 slugs and a snail out of the entire population of them got lucky when they found your garden. They probably don't walk down the street, spot something across the road and have a look. Its more likely that all the snail graze all over an area and some end up in gardens. – Nic Jun 10 '16 at 20:10
  • Also, slugs seen to prefer beer to plants in my experience, so perhaps leaving a trap out for them is better than relocating your seed plot. – Nic Jun 10 '16 at 20:12
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    @Nic I understand your point and you're probably right. Regarding beer, I tried making traps and got one or two slugs a day - Which is very low given the amount I have in plants. I gave up on that when I realized that the slugs were actually drinking more than me :) – nsn Jun 10 '16 at 22:45

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A page about snail vision.

  • They have better eyesight than other animals in their group.
  • They can avoid larger obstacles.
  • They can't focus they eye.

Vision is not the most important requirement in terrestrial gastropods, because they are mainly nocturnal animals. From Wikipedia.

Bulrush
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  • Nocturnal and already there hiding till they come out at night. Put a wide board down with a little gap underneath, turn it over after a couple days. It will tell you what kind of slug/snail population you already have before planting. – Fiasco Labs Jul 10 '16 at 17:03