For our fourth slug update we are seeing a slight uptick in slug numbers across the state as temperatures rise and fields are planted. As a reminder, please take a look at our new “Slug Biology and Management” card that can be viewed here: “Slug_Biology_and_Management”. In addition, more information can be found on this slug fact sheet: Slug_Fact_Sheet. The slug shingle project is funded by the United Soybean Board.
Our monitoring period covers May 11th to May 17th. The number of counties monitoring across the state increased from 17 to 20 and a total of 156 shingle traps were monitored. Only six of the twenty counties reported slug activity over the past week (Figure 1), which is the same number of counties as last week. The main difference this week is that the counties finding slugs were finding more than the previous weeks. We had three counties reporting an average greater than 1 slug per field this week. These counties include Crawford, Jefferson, and Pike. I do want to mention that each county is only monitoring 1-2 fields, so even if your county is reporting “no slugs”, slugs are very sporadic and may be absent from one field and present in another. Make sure you are scouting your fields and looking for evidence of slug feeding (damage to newly emerging plants and slime trails are things to look for). Slugs are nocturnal, and depending on when you scout, slugs may not be present in the field. Stay tuned for more slug updates!
Slugs in Ohio
May 11th to May 17th, 2026
Figure 1. Average slugs found from May 11th to May 17th. The bold number on the left indicates the average slug count for the week, followed by the standard number on the right which indicates the total traps set up in that county. Each field monitored has a total of 6 traps.