Gardeners can expect to see fewer slugs this spring compared to last year, according to experts from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Following a boom in slug populations in 2024, the RHS's entomology team predicts that the recent cold snaps and dry spell will result in reduced numbers of the slimy pests.

This is good news for gardeners growing plants such as carrots, lettuce, and broccoli from seed, which are favoured by slugs. This prediction marks a stark contrast to 2024, when mild, wet weather throughout winter, spring, and summer led to an unprecedented number of calls to the RHS - the highest since records began in the 1970s.

The absence of any prolonged warm, dry spells over the winter months meant that slugs were not forced to retreat underground to avoid the sun and heat, which can dehydrate them. However, the RHS notes that its records indicate that years of high slug activity are often followed by periods of lesser activity due to factors such as predators, disease, parasites, and increased competition for food and breeding resources when populations are high.

While slugs are part of a healthy garden ecosystem, with only nine of the estimated 44 UK species known to cause significant damage to plants, the RHS still advises gardeners to allow young plants to grow strong indoors, under glass, or elevated before planting them in beds and borders.

It also said that glasshouse thrips and red spider mites have been thriving in gardens during recent warm summers and are on the rise nationally, but the colder start to the year could delay their presence, limiting damage to bay trees, viburnum and tomatoes this year.

Hayley Jones, principal entomologist at the RHS, said: "Slugs are here to stay so learning to think like one is how you can best limit their pesky behaviour on your plot.

"While inviting wildlife into your garden will help to keep them in check you can apply layers of management that include tweaking your watering regime, using a dry textured mulch, or manually moving slugs to a compost heap after dusk."