I'm using this since March, it works brilliantly though for next year I'd modify a bit, as Dan points out I'd bring the wires a little closer together. Use better quality galvanized wire. And I might try and set it up with a little solar cell and rechargeable batteries, I'm in Cork in Ireland and after a week of constant rain the batteries lost a bit of power. I fitted mine to the outside not the top, pooling water on the top might drain the battery sooner. So far this is the BEST solution!!
Brillinant, I was struggling with slugs over and over and trying different ideas. Then electric fencing poped in my head. I'm glad that the idea already exists and we have a proof of concept
Are you still using this Dan? Obviously this was a few years ago just wondering how it worked out over time as it would be a great solution on my raised beds.
Can't believe I only heard of these recently. A raised bed, or greenhouse/polytunnel, surrounded by one of these, plus a liberal application of nematodes and I think a completely slug-free crop may be possible. A few years ago, admittedly following the driest spring ever, with just nematodes and some pellets, I had the best crop of curly Kale, not a single nibble out of one of them.
Hi Used the same idea but with a 12 volt motorbike battery and went out at night and lots of snails walking up the wood side then did not even touch the first wire which was the positive one.Turned back down the wall. I used a 5 amp fuse in line also. Maybe they sensed a voltage so did not touch the wire.
@@Fruitysfaction You could rig up a trap door so that when they are fried they would fall down beneath the patio, never to be seen from again. This will feed the worms which will then benefit your garden :)
This is what I'm wondering. I guess you need to have the wires in such a way so that water doesn't pool between them and short the battery. Since they are on wet wood in an extended downpour I would imagine this will kill the battery. Not sure what the solution is here, maybe have an Arduino set up with a humidity sensor and a relay to cut the battery if it passes a threshold, but then you need to power the Arduino and have a waterproof housing for it. A simpler solution is to have an inline rocker switch somewhere to cut the circuit so in the rainy season it will just be disabled, but then this will leave your garden undefended. I'm thinking of just making a glass lid for smaller beds.
I'd like to add a note that two of my planters are plastic... and I punched a hole in mine trying to staple it. ;) That said, I just used conductive copper tape (kinda two fold)... ran it in the same manner, hooked it up to the 9V and it worked great! The only thing I'd do different next time, is install it before I put the bed together, so I can aim for a straighter line. ;)
Super! And we also learned that after a snail is electrocuted it blows bubbles. I think I'll be doing this. I have loads of old Scalextric track I could cannibalise. Best Wishes, Brendan.
That's just fantastic!!! Maybe it's winter work for down the allotment this year. I'd need a lot of wire and 9 v batteries, but I'm sure it's all worth it. If there are any in the bed, I'll scatter oatmeal on the soil which they love to eat. this then swells up inside them, and they explode!! I'm a caring person really, just not when it comes to gastropods.
Many people write about the problems of such an installation in the rain and the infestation of slugs, also the problem of discharge. This is easily solved. 12 V is too much voltage , 9 V too, but 6 V is ideal. The rain problem can be solved by building an earth battery. We solve the discharge problem. Such a battery can be built using ordinary galvanized screws and a piece of copper wire. Connect the screws with the wire in series. What we need is earth, which serves as an electrolyte while the wire and screws are electrodes.
Good one but there will be current leaks on the wood, rain and moisture will render it harmless, it should have some non-conductive material under it, maybe put it under the the edge of the raised bed, something similar to what jonh coller has on his raised beds, he put copper but no battery, you can sit on the edge of his raised beds and that wires can be applied bellow, protected from rain
I killed hundreds of them last summer when they were eating my vegetables, but I think they should have a chance to live, so this fence is a great idea. Snails like to move on rainy days or at night when they don't dry out. Any ideas how to make this electric snail fence of yours rain-proof? How often do you change the battery?
Hi All. I have just found this video.and I was wondering what is the max lenght of wire I can run off a 9volt battery I was considering making a perimeter fence. Thanks in advance.
Lovely spot of countryside you've got there ;) That's got to be more than 20 metres? Good to know the charge is still strong enough around it. I'm also in the UK, where would you recommend I could pick up some boards like you have around your vegetable bed? Need to make this! Also what type of wire and gauge have you used? Thanks.
It is of no consequence. When the slug touches the other wire it closes the circuit and gets a shock. This is how electric trains or trolley buses work. The rails are one pole, while the wire is the other. Just touching one doesn't cause anything but when one is connected to the other it closes the circuit and there is a current that drives the vehicle.
A good improvement on this is to use a PP9 9V battery instead. It lasts a lot longer, easily a whole season without failing. I have has mixed results with the PP3, particularly in wetter months.
nothing would happen. in fact you can easily toucht both terminals of a car battery with bare hands. ohms law. u=r*i. your skin has a resistance of a couple of k ohms even when wet. so just a tiny current would flow. not much of a deal for humans but certainly for gastropods :)
@@joffito2495 Good to know. Thanks. I guess that's right. What if I had a really long tongue and put it across both terminals, like you do on a small 9v battery?
i just measured my tounge resistance with 1 cm gap. it's around 30kohm. let's assume a fully charged battery at 13.8V. that would result in 0.46 mA in current flow. only from one point of your tounge to the other, so a distance of 1 cm. this certainly tickles and you wouldn' enjoy it but whats the point of licking those wires ;-)
@@joffito2495 Lol, thanks for checking. I guess I could have used my multimeter to work that out myself, but I always shy away from ohms law in favour of trial and error. Like Lex Luthor once said: "Still using all the muscles except the one that counts" lol
Copper wire gets a patination on it of verdigris, though copper wire is easier to get. Rain shorts out the battery immediately, so you have to construct a roof over the wires.
Hello all. I rigged up this system using a 9 volt pp3 rechargeable battery. What's happening is, each morning there are at least 6 dead slugs on the wires and the battery has to be recharged each day. Anyone any idea why it's killing instead of deterring them? Any replies appreciated.
Just watched this again because my cousin is having slug issues so I sent him this video. I think I'll just connect my little barrier to the mains...that'll teach them.
+Chris Davies Another RU-vidr who set one like this up said that the voltage was still over 5v by the end of the growing season, so this should use about 1 (good quality) battery per year.
car batteries have allot more power, they can actually turn an engine! approx 500 watts about 80 times more powerful. Could be a fire and toxic gas hazard if you do not do it right. take care.
***** Well im sorry that every one is diffrent! I love Snails and Slugs. I hate to see living animals get hurt! Just because they look diffrent, you should not hurt them. All they want its some food!
Lps Una-Narwhal There's plenty of food about, they do not need hostas and vegetables. This is far less cruel than nematodes and snailbait. They live another day and can go eat the dandelions and lawn.
9 лет назад
+it that fangirl not sure if trolling but.. Its better than killing them, they live on a little wiser. If you buy from a supermarket your doing a hell of a lot worse. Heck, how many slugs were killed in the production of the resources your using this very moment?
@@itthatfangirl It is not because they look different. Grow up! It is because they are killing the plants and destroying the vegetable garden after so much work done. This is better than killing by poisoning them and the environment.
I THINK YOU SHOCKED THEM TOO MUCH AND TRAUMATISED THEM . WHY DODNT U GET REAL COPPER TAPE TO STICK IT AROUND EVERY BED AND POT WTHOUT KILLING THEM AND IT WORKS ......
