Sometimes you just can't do the right thing

[colhut]

Found a dead newt in a beer trap tonight, now I am depressed. On the plus side there was a live one a few inches away, which is why I had to empty the beer trap. Still feel very bad though, my attempts to kill the slugs have just killed one of their predators

[Martin]

you could cheer yourself with the thought that it reached its true destiny - p*ssed as a newt!

[Jack]

Gidday

Good one there Martin.

You must be a man after my own heart.

[Millymollymandy]

That's very sad. Can you find something smaller to use as a beer trap, big enough to drown the slugs but not something the size of a newt?

[ina]

Ergh, stupid question here - how big is a newt? And where are they likely to occur? I'm just about to put out some beer traps, as I can never see those blimming slugs, but they are eating my radishes again. I don't think I've ever seen a newt; and now, reading this, I'd like to avoid trapping one!

[revdode]

You could put quite a close mesh (1/4" square) over the traps, slugs will slip through very small gaps, hopefully the newts wont.

[chadspad]

Our orange slugs are bigger than newts - theyre revolting!

[mybarnconversion]

Make sure there is a route for a newt that fancies a drink to get out of the trap -- small 'ladder' or ramp ... a newt (that's not too drunk) should be wiley / agile enough to use the escape route, but a slug won't.

Worth a try if the design of your trap allows it.