Slug electric fence

[camerart]

I have made a slug/snail electric fence for keeping the critters off my veg plot (See attachment). I used stainless steel wire, bought from a hardware shop to make two tracks round a wooden fence connected POS of a 12v battery in series with a bulb and the other wire to NEG. It's been working ok for two days till today, where one wire snapped. It rained last night, and there are stains, perhaps rust or snail slime. It seems that the wire I bought can't stand the conditions. The wires are taught, but not too much. The wire is none magnetic.

Do you think stainless steel welding wire would work or would it also stain and break under these conditions?

Untitled

• camerart
• 15 May 2015
• 1

 

[footprints]

Go out with a torch at night watch for the slug then nick his wire cutters!

How about winding a few inches of wire around a screwdriver or something to make a sort of spring section that will allow tension but give some play in the wire.

How are you protecting the battery from the rain etc?

 

[joe-90]

I'm surprised the slugs will eat those veggies.

 

[camerart]

Even I wouldn't eat those veggies, but I might eat their potatoes when they've grown

I don't like going out there at night, in case it's their teeth they're using to cut the wire.

I'll tidy up the battery and all connections once it's working ok. Last time I used an upturned plastic tray, and put all of the electrics under it.

The coil trick could be the answer to the snapping, if it was the wood swelling that did it.

Did you have an answer to my question regarding the types of S/S?
Thanks,

C.

 

[Burnerman]

Most materials in wire form will work harden - maybe this is what's happened? Copper will turn green, but still conduct well.
How about using kosher electric fence wire, available from farmers merchants?
John

 

[Norcon]

Pour salt around the edge. Like about 100kg.

 

[camerart]

Most materials in wire form will work harden - maybe this is what's happened? Copper will turn green, but still conduct well.
How about using kosher electric fence wire, available from farmers merchants?
John

Last year I used copper tracks mounted on horizontal plastic strips This killed many snails, as they got halfway across, before they had cleaned the tracks, and I needed to clean all the bodies in the morning. That's why I changed to S/S.

C.

 

[Burnerman]

You'd still need to clear the corpses though?
I've never heard of this before!
John

 

[camerart]

You'd still need to clear the corpses though?
I've never heard of this before!
John

I've been testing different ideas for a couple of years with 'trained' slugs and snails. I'm not trying to kill them, 0nly turn them back, so no corpses. This is the best so far, as long as the wire doen't keep breaking.

C.

 

[joe-90]

It's raised bed so why not just make an overhanging lip that snails can't climb? No need for the battery.

 

[Burnerman]

Forgive my ignorance, but what makes the creatures retreat? I thought the issue here was to top them!
John

 

[camerart]

It's raised bed so why not just make an overhanging lip that snails can't climb? No need for the battery.

I'd like to see a design that slugs/snails can't climb over.

C.

 

[camerart]

Forgive my ignorance, but what makes the creatures retreat? I thought the issue here was to top them!
John

I'm not trying to kill anything in the garden. I used to kill all sorts of things, and I slowly came to accept the nice and the not so nice. I've got slow worms here, that I like, and they eat snails eggs. So no chemicals either. I've turned into a greeny

As they cross the two wires, they get a shock and retreat. A bit like when you touch a battery on your tongue. Only up to a little 9v. Be carefull!

C.

 

[big-all]

fine mesh chicken wire folded about 4 times so down from 600mm to 150mm with old net curtains folded in the gaps will be so small very little will get through

 

[camerart]

fine mesh chicken wire folded about 4 times so down from 600mm to 150mm with old net curtains folded in the gaps will be so small very little will get through

Have you seen beens growing?

C.