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Re: Electric slug fence;summary

Quoting ROSS E STANFORD (pattie@juno.com):
> 
> On Fri, 3 Jul 1998 07:02:08 +0100 (BST) Allan Day
> <allan@crwys.demon.co.uk> writes:
> >So where are we now on this saga?
> >To summarise
> >* The principle probably works, if Stan would come off the (electric 
> >or
> >otherwise) fence and say whether he actually has tried it on slugs.
> >* It is clearly non-polluting
> >* Stan has come up with a low price way of
> >doing it.
> >* Any ground slugs can get under the barrier if it is on the ground.
> >* Any slugs already inside are fine as long as they stay clear
> >of the fence
> >* Any slugs which get deaded could short it out. This suggests a
> >deterrent shock could be better than a killer.
> >
> >
> >* I desparately need to do something about slugs. Bait doesn't always
> >work eg when the slugs have already got inside the cabbages, and the
> >environmentalists don't like it. Hand picking at night is impossible, 
> >I
> >am only there during the day. If you put a mesh cover over the plants
> >you exclude birds and hedgehogs. The best hope seems to be to have a
> >copper barrier (non-electric) and clear inside it before planting the
> >crop, but cost is the main problem. I haven't tried nematode control 
> >but
> >that seems expensive and temporary.
> >
> >-- 
> >Allan Day  Hereford HR2 7AU allan@crwys.demon.co.uk
> >
> >
> Allan.
>      Remember slot cars.  I don't know if they were such a
> big thing back in the 60's in the UK as they were in the States,
> but they used to make a copper foil, self adhesive strip that
> you could use to make your own slot car track.  The top of
> the copper strip had no coating on it so that the slot cars could
> make good electrical contact with it. 
>      Perhaps this may be a non-electrical deterrent to your slug
> problem.  I have no idea if they still manufacture this stuff or
> how much it costs but
> searching the net may turn up something, or provide leads to
> other areas of copper.  
>      Just a thought.
> 
> Stan            the cheap and lazy gardener
> 
> P.S.  I don't have regular access to the internet.  
> 

If I wanted to use copper foil I would get some solid copper wire about 3/16
inches in diameter or greater, remove the insulation if it is insulated, beat
it into a thin foil with a hammer, and then glue or staple the foil around
the area I wished to protect.  This is cheap enough to do for a trial to see
if it works or not.  I would talk to an electrician since they normally have
bits and pieces of solid wire and they might even give it to one if asked
nicely.

Cheers,

-- 
Victor Torrico

          ------ Wildflower Hill, Head Waters, Virginia ------
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