Slug control 100% and most humane
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- See my NEW DIY raised bed and slug control video here:
• Comparing slug control...
This is probably the most humane way to control slugs and barring something unusual it is 100% effective. This video shows how to install and test the electric slug control fence in a raised bed garden. (See also "Comparing Slug Control methods": • Comparing slug control... )
I stapled 2 parallel runs of galvanized wire around the raised bed and connected them to a 9-volt battery.This fence is an improvement over my earlier fences where I used aluminum welding wire. The aluminum wire is more fragile and usually lasts just one year. (You can speed the video up 2X by selecting the little gear symbol at the bottom of the video). Update: I am currently using stainless steel welding wire that is 0.8 mm. Highly recommend this wire as, along with SS staples, you should get years of service. The spool of SS welding wire that I bought was about $45 but I have enough to "last a life time" (length is not stated on the spool). In Canada you can get this at Princess Auto.
#slugcontrol #slugs #electricfence
Here's my new DIY raised bed and slug control video: th-cam.com/video/ZFn9TT_rlXU/w-d-xo.html
The zaps scared the crap out of me
Amazing. That slug learned in seconds. Quicker intelligence than a lot of humans.
Looking at this for almost 10 mins now I dont even have a garden I'm losing it
:)
lol mad response
:D
I lost it too, laughing at your non-garden comment!!
😂😂
I put this around my laz e boy. So far it is keeping the wife, both cats and the slugs off me, thanx.
Cambria399 LMAO, sir you made my day.
Cambria399 ...lol. ^×^ I think you have just disproved the old saying: "No man ....can be his own island". I'll have to see if this works on "husbands".
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂
My wife and I just watched this video. VERY awesome. I was looking on instructables for garden box ideas and came across your instructable. I figured it would be something complicated, and yet this is so simple! Just a 9v battery, so elegant and easy. We'll be implementing this for sure.
Finally something that really works!!
This deserves a Nobel prize.
Thanks!
CR Sociale Dienst Venlo .....I agree 100%. Bob Kelland deserves a nobel prize for solving this problematic age old garden issue.
Wow!!!!! After endless time dealing with these slime balls there is something that will work! I live in Oregon coast. Very slug infested! Many thanks!
Nola, beer attracts slugs to the garden as does poison pellets. The electric fence (above) prevents them from entering the raised bed garden in the first place. It is also the most humane idea as the slugs are not harmed as with most all other approaches.
Wow that is great especially like the sound effects! lol
No problem when raining because the electrical resistance between the 2 conductors is still very high and therefore very little additional current will flow between them. I live in a very wet area and the battery lasts all of the growing season.
I am loving those sound effects. Especially after the slugs killed off two of my tomato seedlings overnight!!! Grrrrrr
I'm working on editing a video that pretty well shows that copper simply is not reliable enough. The "9-volt solution" (above) is pretty well 100% effective.
Bob Kelland ...Just wanted to give you a appreciated thank you for these garden raised bed videos. Making raised beds with wiring and the 9 volt battery looks like a proven successful solution. Definitely; worth the effort in the long run. I've been determined to garden again; but was discouraged because of snail slug issues in the past. Now I'm thinking of making a low raised bed for flowers. And surrounding it with plants /flowers that are snail resistant. And a few hidden beer traps. Thank you again for all of your hard work and sharing your garden know how. It's really appreciated. God bless ..
Thank You so much for your trap that doesn't killed but discourage efficiently slugs .I am a religeous and I don't want to kill any animal .It's a Long time I have tried to find a such trap that doesn't kill .Thank You never enough.
@@maohuy9617 me too, im just like yourself, very religious & don't want to harm any of God's small creatures, my brother remarked that i have the ideology of a Tibetan Monk not to harm any living thing however small or big it is!!! Amen...
I almost woke up my kids laughing at Pavlov's slug!
"must be Pavlovs slug" hahaha made me laugh.
Though it really is an interesting observation.
That's the first time I've seen anything work to hold them back. Thank you!
Thanks Mr Kelland. Very much appreciated. Will make this!
Hope it works good for you.
I didn't know slugs could hang like spiders..
Also, it seems the big slug was traumatized.. it shows they have the ability to learn from their experience
The small slug was an unintentional player in the video. I believe he made contact with the wires before I arrived and was momentarily stunned or was just laying there enjoying the buzz. Anyway the booger-like slime saved the day for him as it automatically held him in place while he was out and when the big slug disturbed him the string of slime stretched out and gently lowered him down.
I guess that proves you evolved from a slug...
😂😂😂the comments on here have me DYING in laughter!!!!!! omg i needed this laugh today!!! great video too. thx😃
The little one looks like he's training for the slug Olympics!
:)
I jumped when i heard the zap. The video editing was great.
for some reason I can't stop laughing. great idea! I was thinking of little collars for them but this seams alot easier!
+Nicholas Wheeler Never thought of the collar idea :)
6:41 *Mission Impossible theme starts playing*
I wish I had learned this 20 years ago! I will set this up next spring. I loved the "zapping" sound effects, if only it would do that in real life.
It needs a buzzer that sounds when activated.
Are we catching and releasing slugs here? How about a good old beer swimming pool? Why make it complicated? And why release pests back into the environment when they multiply more rapidly than anything else? So many questions.
Thanks for quick respons . I made the double wiring to be sure . But no slugs around for the moment to test. To dry in the garden . ( abnormal for Belgium )
Wish you happy no stress vegies .
Thank you for sharing this and keeping your idea free. We are SO going to install one of these on each of our Rain Gutter Grow Systems that we'll be using next growing season. Slugs are a huge pain in our neck of the woods. This is just the ticket. Again, THANK YOU!
finally, something that works! thank you for posting this--I'm going to build one.
well-done Bob, interesting also to see the small slug getting the hell out of there...
Thanks! I have some cabbages growing in a ground patch that are being destroyed by slugs. Raised bed only way to go here.
I wonder if it would work to make a frame of 2x4s, on edge, to surround the ground-level bed and apply the wires to its perimeter close to the top edge? Perhaps use 2x6s so that you could sink them a few inches into your soil so the little buggers would be less likely to simply pass underneath...
what hpn if this slug got electric powers and become superslug
Watching that "U" turn was very satisfying! How about 110V and send him straight to hell without passing GO and not collecting $200 ever again?
Kids sometimes touch the terminals of a 9 volt battery to their tongue to get a little jolt. The saliva enables the battery terminals and tongue to make very good electrical contact that will cause enough current flow to give the shock. A similar effect takes place with the slug or snail - the on board slime being equivalent to the saliva. Non slimy things will have a higher electrical resistance and will not normally result in sufficient current flow to give a shock (at 9 volts that is).
Surprisingly slugs are not killed with the 9-volt source, so suicides are not part of the action. Yeah, the sound effects are my way of making the rather long video more watchable. Thanks for comments!
It works very well but I prefer to repel them much more than to kill them. Thanks for your clip.
Think you might have missed the point. The electric fence causes the slugs and snails to turn away from the garden. Salt and other chemicals torture and kill them.
Very awesome. I appreciated that. Thank you for your explained.
Found that this does work for the larger ones but small slugs and snails have not issue crossing as they mostly never touch more than a single wire at once. Ive resorted to going out at night with head torch and pair of scissors. Yes i am a slug serial killer, but it works a treat.
Your approach ok but too risky. A slug can do a lot of damage after you go in for the night. This works on small slugs too as they tend to stretch out when crossing.
yep. electric fence is 100% effective.
This was great! Educational and better than tv!
Thanks Maria :)
Good job! Just what I needed.
Thanks so much. God bless you and keep you 💚
uberclayton - that is just a myth, they will cross over copper wire and copper tape. I will have some video available later to show this.
@ 6:43 Seems you can't bungee jump when you're all slimy, as the cord tends to stick to you.
Great method! It keeps the slugs alive so that their natural predators have something to eat.
And they are left to chew up the surrounding weeds.
Nuke em all and let God sort em out !
Great video. I set it up with a 9 volt hooked to a solar panel I salvaged from an old garden lamp. Works increfibly well.Thanks for sharing
Amazing! Would love to see a video of how that was made.
Excellent thanks bud
you are awesome! this is amazing! i know so many people who are limited by slugs! both in the pacific northwest where slugs rule at the top of the food chain and europe beings europe has been fighting an invasion of epic proportions of these so called french slugs.. some years they are so thick its nasty to even walk the sidewalks in the evenings here in sweden. for a gardener it is WW3! cheers
***** Thanks ian. Just back from near your country so late replying. Yeah for some plants you have to tackle those slugs head on. So far I haven't come across a better solution for raised beds but you never know what might come up.
I have been experimenting with mixing a rather effective spray for soft body pests, aphids, spider mites, apple moths too!. I add about two large shot glasses of Sriracha sauce to about two cups of water so I can strain it of chunks which will clog the pump sprayer, then sit aside as I I make a tea of 5 to10 grams Joloka pepper powder i have soaked in a little spirits, when cool I add about 40 drops of rosemary essential oil and 40 drops of cinnamon leaf oil, a few drops of unscented dish soap, shake carefully and add to pump sprayer. This makes enough for two pump sprayers full perhaps.
That they invade even sidewalks in mass number sounds scary. =x I'd carry salt and end up running out before i got far lol
Thanks for the nightmare fuel. LOL
I will use two or three batteries or maybe a car battery and call it the snail electric chair.
Lol
@Young Thug Use 240 volts and test it in the bath and see how it works, idiot.
Panspermia Hunter Yes, that would be nice.
This is for 45 thumbs up & counting that approve of given the slugs the electric chair treatment:- Now God know's who you are & how to deal with ye heathens!!!!
So you added the sound effects. Could you hook a radio or light bulb so when they (slug) connects the circuit the radio would start or the light flicker?
If you want notification of a slug making contact with the electric fence it might be best these days to rig up a slug presence app (SPA) for your smart phone - would take some thinking and work but might be the best approach.
Bob Kelland thank you very much. I'm passing this along a the junior high science teacher. This would be a terrific field experiment for students.
Hope you're kidding as that voltage could give you or others a significant and possibly dangerous (read - deadly) shock!
Thanks for this great tip! What was that smaller slug doing at 7:15? I've never seen one dangling like that! If that's some new evolutionary trick in slugs, look out! They'll be dropping in on our gardens from above!
:) Think it got stunned and it hung on by a thread of slime. They usually come back to life after that.
Just watched it again. So would I get shocked if I touched the 2 wires?
Ok but... surely the slugs can fit through the gaps in the slats of the planter?
In my observations slugs tend to stretch out as they reach to see what is next in their path - so that will usually ensure contact between both wires. But that is not to say a very small slug cannot get through. Solution of course is to make the wires even closer together.
I really like this idea! I love the sound effects. thanks
You are welcome!
Thanks - it is pretty well a sure thing and requires very little attention. Good luck this spring/summer!
Thank you for showing us this. Poison is cruel and slugs and snails shouldn't be made to suffer just for trying to live. So this provides an effective deterrent.
I just give them a premium beer bath, they die happy and drunk
Trouble with that approach is that they mug up on your veggies on the way to the pub.
Just finished a new raised bed the other day, only ever had one slug try to make it up the legs and into the bed.....but will definitely make one of these deterrents for extra protection.
Do you have a different design for veg planted in the ground ?
My original raised beds (with the electric fence) were made with 2x10 boards but they proved to be too low as as the surrounding weeds and the veggies grew the slugs had bridges to success. So it is difficult keeping the slugs and snails clear when planted on the ground. Ducks and frogs might well be the best approach.
I was laughing uncontrollably and the sound effects of the slug been shocked
Pavlov's slug😂 Good job. Thanks for sharing.
"Must be Pavlov's slug", lolz :)
What happens when the slug is small en doesn't necesarily touch both wires?
That can happen but it is rare. They tend to stretch out somewhat when travelling and that helps, also they often seem to sense the electric field without actually touching the wire and that can repel them too.
This is great! hahaha I love the music you added to show the effects! hahaha, seems to be very effective in deterring them slugs awesome! so what did it cost to set this all up? Also what if your growing on ground ? in a box would be better, but not cost wise for me, low budget here :D?
Ground growing is more of a problem... perhaps not that practical with this method. But even a low raised bed (say 1x6 boards) can work but definitely not 100% effective :)
Obviously very cheap and effective, but what happens to the circuit when it rains and the wood becomes waterlogged?
Not a problem, even in very wet areas the 9 volt battery will last for the entire growing season. Always a good idea to check at the wires (not the battery) once in a while to make sure the connections are good.voltage. As the battery voltage drops with the season the system is still effective.
What if it's raining? Won't it short like somebody else asked below.
Use a rechargeable battery and a small solar panel for long summer slug teaser !
+GlennnD Glen, the 9 volt battery lasts the whole growing season so installing solar panel and rechargeable battery might be a bit overkill.
What if it rains? Doesn't it discharge the battery? the wet raised bed should close the circuit or am I wrong?
Even when it rains or when you are watering the garden the electrical resistance remains high enough to prevent excessive current drain from the battery. The battery will typically last for the entire growing season.
Hey bob did you need to solder the 9v battery connector to the tie wire because that's what I'm trying but I'm having trouble getting the solder to mould together with the wire.
Hi raijinz, I just twist and crimp the wires together. You could also try wire nuts as used with electrical home wiring. Soldering successfully will depend on the type of wire you have used. I am currently using stainless steel and that would be pretty well impossible to solder using ordinary soldering methods. If you used copper wire for the fence should be no problem soldering as long as you can keep the heat at the joint (if it's cold out). Might have some luck soldering galvanized wire but it would also be a challenge. Anyway twisting works good over long term but make sure you keep the battery and fence wire connections inside of some kind of weather protecting box.
Good information
this is excellent thank you. we have a terrible slug problem
+Jaimie Brougham This is the best solution for a raised bed garden. Thanks!
Hi you could turn this slug protene rich slug thing into a food source for ducks and chicken domesticatication may be?
Bua haha ha!!! This video is killing me! Love it.
I got heaps of slugs in garden when I lived in vancouver.
Much the same on the east coast.
What's with the wierd noises of the current
How is this not grounded out? On our farm we had to use ceramic insulators…what have you done?
The wood itself is a good insulator so that allows the wire loops to kind of float from ground. Even when wet the electrical resistance is high enough to prevent any excessive current drain from the battery. A 9-volt battery will usually last for the entire growing season, even in damp weather.
It seems the most important question is do slugs generally live in the raised garden bed or do they travel into the raised bed from an external location ?
+Adam Garcia They have an amazing ability to seek and find good stuff to eat. At the beginning of the season I cheat by putting slug poison in my raised bed (I cover the pellets with boards) to make sure I get any slugs that have gotten to the bed over the winter/spring. Once that is taken care of I get rid of the poison and get planting. The pellets attract slugs from a good distance (like beer) so it's especially important to have the fence operating during the poison pellet phase.
Thanks Bob ! This is my first spring with my raised beds and I did not anticipate the slug onslaught I'm experiencing. Beer traps have been working okay, might try this wire. Will definitely heed your advice next year and knock down the population before I plant out.
Might even be better to use some rechargeable battery and solar panel
Very interesting. Does diameter of the wire matter?
The SS wire I now use is quite springy so it would be a good idea to keep with a small diameter wire just from the point of view of bending/installation. Otherwise no difference electrically (for this application).
@@BobKelland Thank you, Bob.
Thx, this is genius! I am def going to do this
jtavangar - There must be a poor connection between the battery terminals and the wires. Have someone monitor the the voltage on the wires, making sure the meter is firmly connected, while you wiggle the wire connections at the battery. Please let me know how you make out.
How long does the battery last and what are the dimensions of the growbed
The battery will normally last the full growing season. I've since replaced the raised bed shown in the video with other raised beds so I don't have the dimensions of the old one. You can see my new raised bed being built in the video link shown in the description above.
genius
when it rains does the battery die?
A regular 9-volt battery will typically last for the entire growing season. Good idea to check the voltage once in a while (at the wires) to make sure the connections are ok.
Copper tape will repel snails and slugs. It has an adhesive back, just like scotch tape. You can buy it at stained glass supply stores and on ebay. Don't buy it at a garden shop. They sell it there but at a higher price.
I did an experiment using copper tape for this purpose and it was not that convincing. You can find a video on that experiment (Comparing slug control methods) on my TH-cam channel. It's worth noting that even one large slug can do a lot of damage in the garden.
Hum what happen when you water the garden or if it rains, doesn't the water ruining across the wood close the circuit across the wires and kill the battery?
Not a problem. Experience with the system shows that the electrical resistance stays high enough to keep the battery in good enough shape to be effective the whole growing season. It's important though to follow the placement of the wires as shown in the video. Placing the wires on top of the structure (on the horizontal rather than on the vertical wall) could result in lowering the resistance between the wires (when raining/watering) and this will shorten the battery life.
@@BobKelland ...I was thinking of using antenna wire (flat type) and just sand of the insulation on the facing side. In hope that the insulation between will help repel the water from bridging across the conductors ?
The sound effects were a little OTT :D
Will it zap me too? I tend to lean against the side of my raised begs with my thighs when I'm planting or weeding in the beds. Would I have to unplug the battery first? I guess I'd only do it once (or twice) before I remembered each time! If it did zap me, what kind of pain are we talking about?
My guess is you should not have a problem in that regard but not a good idea to let garden tools bridge the two wires as that would drain the battery fast and maybe heat up the wires (temp would depend on how long the wires are, wire size, battery condition, etc.)... The wires being mounted on the side of the raised bed reduce chances of causing a short if a tool were to be laid on the wires. Also the side mounting reduces current leakage due to moisture between the wires (dew, rain).
Bob, what does the shock feel like for the slug?
It appears to tickle them rather than shock them, that's evident as some keep going back for more.
Maybe even less than 1 amp as you don't want wires to heat up to a point where you could be burned should you unintentionally short the two wires with a pruner or whatever.
so what a person? can we get jolts?
Should not b a problem if you use the kind of 9 - volt battery as shown in the video.
If you mean copper wire in place of the two galvanized wires I can't say for sure but copper does tend to turn blue (copper sulphate) and then I believe it is a poor electrical conductor. On the other hand, copper by itself (no battery) has been used to repel slugs but I don't have a lot of confidence in it as a good alternative to the method shown in the video. Please see the link in my description (above) to get more details.
I understand that the snail gets 'fried' when he touches two threads but I do not understand that that happens álso when he only touches one thread. Please help me. I try to understand.
Maybe the instant change in temperature. Also it is possible that the slug can sense the electric field when close to the wire.
@@BobKelland Thank you Bob, I think that the second is more likely.
This is wonderful instruction. I don't have slug problems anymore. I compost my coffee grounds and egg shells plus I add spent coffee to the compost bubbler. Seems to discourage.
Thanks. One of my upcoming videos will attempt to compare alternative slug control methods (coffee grounds included). This will be a follow-up to my first "Comparing slug control methods" video (see the url in the description above).
Wow. I am tempted to try this.
Same here. Getting all the supplies soon, looks easy to install. Good luck!
lol special sound effects!
"R slug"
Hilarious :D
Was that last bit of the video showing that the slug had remembered the second wire to produce a painful shock?
draconic33 They seem to learn after a while :)
Have you tried copper welding wire?
I have a large raised bed and think I probably need more batteries.
What's the length of the wire you have for one battery?
No I haven't tried copper welding wire. Regular copper wire as used in electrical work would likely oxidize and form an insulating layer... not sure if copper welding wire would be the same. Probably would depend on what alloy(s) are involved. One 9-volt battery should work fine even for long runs.
Thank you. This is a great idea, I hate killing the snails.
FINALLY a solution that is cheap, simple to install and looks like an actual working solution. Thanks a lot!
You're welcome!
But what if they are baby slugs? Also, what if they are multiplying in the soil in the bed already?
What about when it rains? Will it cause a short to the battery?
Not a problem, a 9 volt battery will typically last for the whole growing season.
@@BobKelland Okay, thanks.
Brilliant! Can I ask if a longer run of wire would draw more power from the battery?
No problem with longer wire hardly any difference in battery drain and life.
Thanks. What about water/rain does that affect battery life?
I consider building the same kind of electric slug fence next season. Did you experience any kind of problems with your fence this season, for instance with rain? What length of wire did you set up?
How much time battery works untill discharging?
The battery will typically last for the entire growing season. Good idea to check it once in a while to make sure connections are good.
I used your method and my battery runs dead in two day's or less ! What could I be doing wrong ? I used regular t50 staples and fencing wire.
I'm getting 9.45 volts on the wire when testing ! But its also drawing current at .5 to .7 volts
Steven Likens I don't know where the current leakage is. Is the wood water logged. If you used fine stranded wire to connect the battery terminal, one small stranded might be touching the opposite side. Are the batteries of known good quality. The staples and fencing wire should not cause a problem like that. You have a low resistance path somewhere - keep checking.
Steven Likens Can you elaborate on these measurements - not clear to me what you mean.
Check with farm supply places or hardware stores. Ask for galvanized wire. Also check the web for more info. Good luck!
The challenge of filming slugs in a 'not so slow' video🤔😊