Slugs and snails.....

Today was .... Interesting. You see in our garden we seem to have an infestation (if such a thing exists)? Of slugs and snails. Hmm you might think, but I kid you not they are everywhere! If we come back home at any time from dusk onwards, well its seems the whole districts slimy beasty population has decided our garden is wear the cool bugs hang out. This will give you some idea of the scale, we came home the other evening and it was still fairly light, but had been a damp afternoon, our path must be say 6m long, every inch of it was covered it slugs and snails, it was like something I've never seen before. Now little Miss Princess is absolutely terrified of them, she goes into panic mode. There she is screaming so much she's almost blue! If only the slugs could run, I'm sure they'd have legged it! I had to find a path through these beasties, on tiptoe I add as they hardly left any gaps for us to tread through them. Mr Incredible had to play the knight in shining armour and carry Miss Princess in, the boy, my Hero just braved the tiptoe path after me. Little Miss Curly locks also had to be rescued. This slimy situation has been going on for a while, but that night, well it was like something Mulder & Scully should be investigating, very yukky and very weird. When we got in and settled panicked girls down, I decided the time had come, I proudly announced to the chicks 'Mummy is declaring war on the Slimy critters'! No longer can we deal with these out of control yukkies. Children are funny though, all that screaming and when I declare war, they are get fretful that it means we have to kill these beasties, which shows how kind hearted the chicks are......hmmmm now I could catch them all and quietly disrepute them in small random groups all over the village, but I really don't think the neighbours would appreciate new pets moving in. I really try to see the best in things and I am thinking that of these creatures, God created them, for a reason I am sure, and he knows why he made them so slimy and ugly, I must confess thought I have to just trust him on this one because well YUK! (I really should research into this more, like what they do for our gardens). So now war has been declared, what  method do I use to get rid of these pesky things? (If you have any good ideas, please let me know in the comments). I think well there are slug pellets, but I have children and a dog (not to mention some locals cats have also decided our garden is the cool place for them to hang out too) Also I worry over the little birdies who might pick up a dead slug or snail for breakfast and get poisoned too, slug pellets are poisonous, lethal to us and animals too. I went to the garden centre and thought there must be some that are safe for kids and pets? No such thing in this shop! The man advised me wool pellets, or gravel, I am looking at these small containers filled with said wool and gravel thinking 'right.... I have to cover the whole garden in these bits because we are not talking about one or two slugs here. Also it must be a very painful end for the beasties, it must hurt. Salt was suggested, I thought about poor slugs kinda being painfully dissolved with salt, not to mention the waste of salt, nope, no good either. Then a slug pub was suggested, bait a trap with beer, slimy monsters smell it and can't resist then get drunk, fall in and drown..... Still, not a nice end. But far better that dissolving, burning, poisoning, or sharp gravel tearing their tummies up. I think out of said choices I'd much rather die via the beer method. I want to get rid of them in the kindest way posible, they are only making a living after all. so beer traps it is!