UK growers facing continued slug pressure have a new control option following the launch of a molluscicide built around a novel active ingredient designed to stop feeding quickly and deliver faster results in the field.
ADAMA UK has launched Ferrabait, a new slug pellet using its elemental iron-based active ingredient Feralla, approved for use across cereals, vegetables, grass leys and high-value broad-field crops.
Designed to promote rapid feeding while maintaining performance in wet conditions, Ferrabait contains 1% w/w Feralla alongside wheat flours and humic acids to improve palatability and encourage early feeding.
Catherine Whaley, product development area manager for ADAMA in Central and North Europe, said Ferrabait builds on proven technology. “Following on from the success of our Gusto IRON (2.94% w/w anhydrous ferric phosphate) slug pellets, Ferrabait is manufactured using ADAMA’s Desidro® wet processing and two-stage drying technology,” she said.
She added that the process delivers durability without compromising attraction. “This proven manufacturing system produces pellets with the ideal balance of persistence in wet weather and palatability over a longer duration,” she said, adding that the pellets “remain mould-free and palatable for longer than other slug baits”.
Once ingested, the elemental iron is solubilised within the slug’s digestive system, triggering rapid physiological changes that reduce mobility and cause feeding to stop almost immediately.
“As soon as a lethal dose has been ingested, mortality quickly follows,” Ms Whaley said, with field trials showing Ferrabait delivers “a considerably faster speed of kill compared to other commercially available molluscicides”.
Spreading accuracy and bait longevity are central to the product’s design. Ferrabait pellets are manufactured to uniform specifications and measure 2.5mm by 2.1mm, allowing accurate spreading at wide operating widths and delivering 40–50 baiting points per square metre at typical application rates. The pellets are certified for use with a wide range of commonly used applicators.
Ms Whaley said pellet size was critical to effective control. Smaller pellets can degrade more quickly in wet conditions and spread less accurately, while larger pellets reduce baiting points.
Trials have shown slugs need to consume less than one Ferrabait pellet to receive a lethal dose, leaving remaining material available for further feeding and extending control from a single application.
For growers, the combination of rapid feeding cessation, consistent spreading and improved pellet longevity is intended to provide reliable slug control across a wide range of crops and conditions.
