Area gardeners slogging through the soggy landscape are getting grossed out by gooey slugs bent on destruction, eating away at hostas and other plants.

Some are small, some are long, and they came in a number of colors, including repulsive red-tinted varieties.

Those who have dared to venture into their yards while dodging the rain drops, report a proliferation of the pests this season.

The appearance of these annual eaters even made the scouting reports from throughout the state on the University of Massachusetts Extension Landscape Program Web site.

"Slugs are a serious problem," along with snails, the Asiatic garden beetle and mosquitoes, the extension service reported. Blame it on the rain.

"Given this season's perpetual dampness, they seem to be feeding continuously," said Suzanne Mahler, who has a gardening column and has spoken to a number of area garden clubs.

"Slugs and snails are voracious mollusks that are particularly fond of hostas, leaving their foliage riddled with holes. Annual transplants can be shredded to lacy skeletons or completely devoured overnight," Mahler said.

"I counted 50 small snails on one clump of daylilies this week...ugh!"

Slugs are legless, boneless creatures. They are similar to snails, but have a raised mantle on the back instead of the familiar shell. Slugs are nocturnal feeders, hiding during daylight hours, but also venturing out on dim, damp days.

Among the many species of slugs capable of chomping on strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and lettuce, is the gray garden slug, the most common and most destructive, according to the "GreenShare" Web site of the University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program.

The three-quarter-inch pest varies in color from a yucky whitish yellow to almost black, with brown specks and mottling.

During wet growing seasons, large numbers of slugs survive the summer months and may move into gardens or cultivated fields from weedy borders, drainage ditches or other moist, sheltered areas.

Landscape or crop damage is usually most severe in late summer or early autumn of cool, wet growing seasons, especially when preceded by a mild winter, according to the landscape program site.

There are conflicting views about whether mulch helps or hinders slugs since it provides a good environment for them. Large wood chips give slugs a place to hide; cedar bark chips and pea gravel seems to work against slugs, according to studies. Mahler said she prefers baits that contain iron phosphate, including Escar-Go and Sluggo, which are environmentally friendly and safe to use around vegetables.

Diatomaceous earth, wood ash, coarse sand and crushed egg shells are irritants and will often deter slugs and snails when used to encircle valued plants and are particularly effective early in the growing season, she said.

"For small gardens, the placement of wooden shingles among plants will serve as a haven for slugs and snails during the day, and the slimy pests can be scooped up with an old spoon and deposited in a jar of soapy water."

Here are some other tips from landscape and gardening experts on how to say goodbye to slugs:

Maintain good weed control within the garden or field and along borders to eliminate daytime refuges for slugs.

Slugs avoid crawling over anything dry, dusty or scratchy, such as lime, road dust, diatomaceous earth, cinders, coarse sawdust, gravel or sand. Secretion of enough mucus to free themselves from these materials soon exhausts them and they die. A border of any of these materials helps control slugs.

A screen, 4 inches wide, placed on edge and partly embedded in soil for support, will keep slugs out of an area. Boards, bark, or other materials not less than 6 inches square make effective traps when placed in gardens. Each morning you can gather the slugs from under the traps and destroy them.

Slugs can also be hand-picked off garden plants at night using a flashlight and a pair of disposable gloves. However, since only a portion of the population is active on a given night, it can take quite of bit of slug harvesting before there is a noticeable impact on the population.

Slugs are attracted to and drown in shallow dishes containing beer or baker's yeast dissolved in water. Set the top edges of the dish at ground level and cover loosely with a board so slugs can easily get into the mixture. While successful, gardeners say it can be a more tedious process and not as effective because only a few are knocked off at a time.

Note that most pest management plans suggest against Metaldehyde baits because they are particularly poisonous to dogs and cats.