Slugs preference is cool weather such as rain and fog as they do not have the outer shell to protect them. The dry weather or heat may dry them out. When the weather is warm and dry the slug will attempt to find shelter in a cool and dark place, usually damp. However if there is a long dry spell then the slug will encase themselves in a papery cocoon-like structure and attach themselves to a wall or tree and wait until the weather is cooler. Due to slugs bodies being comprised of mainly water and being without a full bodied shell their soft bodies are prone to desiccation. They must generate protective mucous to survive. Slugs are very active after rain or wet periods because of the moist ground. In the dry conditions you will find them hiding under the tree bark, fallen logs, rocks and even man made structures such as planters to help them retain some of their body moisture. Slugs are most active usually from March to October but can be right through to winter. Unlike snails that hibernate during winter slugs are active whenever the temperature is above 5degreesC. Slugs are more capable of a wider colonization than snails due to the fact that they do not require calcium for their shell. Although they do cause damage to gardens there is also the positive …show more content…
They are male first then develop female reproductive organs when fully mature. A slug will endeavor to locate a mate, encircle each other and sperm is then exchanged through their genitalia which is protruded. It will then take a few days for the slugs to lay approximately thirty eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log. These eggs are gelatinous and spherical in shape. They measure approx. 1/8 to ¼ inch in diameter and are either golden or white in color. The eggs will hatch within 10 days. Slugs even have the ability to reproduce with themselves but a partner is more