As of: March 30, 2024, 7:24 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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The yellow beer snail is quite inconspicuous, nocturnal and loves, among other things, beer. The slug often hides, but discoveries should be reported.
Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. the beer slug (Limacus flavus) crawls through some gardens. In search of food and following the seductive smell of beer, this slug can also be found in damp, unplastered cellars. During the day the snail hides in sheltered places, for example in cracks in walls. There is no reason for garden owners to worry, as the animal disdains green plants and makes itself scarce - it is so rare that you should report a sighting of the beer snail.
Distinguish beer slugs from other slugs
The dirty yellow beer snail (Limacus flavus) is up to ten centimeters long and has bluish antennae. © imagebroker/Imago
The beer snail, which belongs to the lung snail order, is not particularly attractive: the yellow, sometimes olive-green or brownish slug is up to ten centimeters long with lighter spots on the back and on the mantle shield, which slugs wear instead of a shell. The body mucus is also yellow. The most noticeable thing is the snail's bluish antennae.
Gaby Schulemann-Maier from the
Nature Conservation Association of Germany (NABU)
explains the difference to other slugs in a press release: “As with many representatives of the snail family, the beer snail's breathing hole is located clearly behind the middle of the mantle shield when viewed from the head, and on the right side of the body. Nudibranchs from other families, on the other hand, have their breathing hole in front of the middle of the mantle shield.”
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
Similar to the Roman snail or the tiger snail, the beer snail should be a welcome guest in the garden. It is on the red list of endangered species because its habitat is increasingly dwindling due to building renovations.
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How to find and report the beer snail
The lack of damp, unplastered cellars makes the beer snail an endangered species. © imagebroker/Imago
Since the snail prefers to feed on mold, lichens and algae, it poses no danger to garden plants. But it's also worth taking a look in the potato crate in the cellar, because the beer snail also appreciates stored potatoes or onions, explains the
Red List Center
. You could also find the snail in the compost heap. Anyone who finds the nocturnal animal, for example in cellars, shafts, cracks in walls or near streams, rivers and beer traps, should report it - preferably with a photo - to
NABU-naturgucker.de
using the free beer snail web app .