02/03/2026
The toad living in your garden works through the night for free. Between dusk and dawn it can consume between 50 and 100 invertebrates: slugs, vine weevil larvae, leatherjackets, woodlice, beetles, earwigs, and caterpillars. It is the most efficient natural pest control available in any British garden, and it needs no instruction. 🐸
When toads disappear from a garden — because of slug pellets, insecticide use, or the removal of the damp sheltered spots they rely on for refuge — pest populations recover within days. The common toad is listed as a species of conservation concern in Britain, and its population has declined by 68% over the past 30 years. A garden without toads is a garden left undefended through the night.
To attract and keep them: leave a flat stone, a piece of broken terracotta pot turned upside down with a small entrance gap, or a log pile as a daytime refuge. A shallow dish of clean water is sufficient as a water source. Avoid slug pellets containing metaldehyde or ferric phosphate near their territory — toads absorb chemicals through their skin.
Common toads return to the same garden year after year if the conditions are right. Lose them once and they are difficult to replace.
🐸 The best slug control in any garden weighs 80 grams and works while you sleep.
