This means war! It is time to get the kids involved in the fight against the slimy creatures that feed on the leaves and roots of your carefully tended plants. Snail traps are the way to go!

What you’ll need:

• Plastic cups
• Non-alcoholic beer
• Spade or trowel

Step 1

Find or purchase suitable cups. The cups should be deep enough to allow slugs and snails to fall in and be unable to crawl back out. Deep containers also prevent the beer from evaporating in the sun too quickly.

Step 2

Fill your cups to the top with the beer.

Snails and slugs are attracted to both the yeast and the carbohydrates in the beer; they will fall into the cup and drown.

Step 3

Select the spots in your garden or veggie patch that are prone to attacks by these slimy creatures.

The location of your beer trap is important. It should be placed near enough to your garden so that snails are attracted to the beer instead of your plants.

Step 4

Use your spade or trowel to dig a hole deep enough to bury the cups.

Bury the cups so that the top of the cup is level with the ground.

Step 5

Pick the snails out of the beer trap daily. Check the beer trap each day for snails and slugs.

Refill the beer when it evaporates to a low level.

Step 6

If you do not have beer handy, you can make an effective mixture by combining honey, water, and bread yeast. Simmer the ingredients together until thoroughly dissolved. The exact ratios are not important.