You are slowly but surely becoming desperate because no matter what you do to combat your snail infestation, nothing seems to help. If you have the feeling that your molluscs are particularly stubborn and resistant, you can try a homemade electric fence.
A DIY snail fence with electricity is not that difficult to make and can be built even by amateurs. And it’s effective too – both for potted plants and raised beds! Try it out and protect your beloved plants by making your own snail fence!
A notice:Electric snail fences of this type are not harmful to the mollusks due to the low voltage. They only cause an unpleasant feeling and are therefore a good compromise to poisons andhomemade snail traps.
These are the materials you will need if you want to make a snail fence yourself:
- Copper tape (perforated tape is also suitable)
- 9V battery
- small plastic bottles (the battery must fit into the body of the bottle)
- Battery connection clip
- Cable for extension
- Insulation for the cables (insulating tape is also suitable)
- Hot glue
- soldering iron
This is how practical snail defense works
You can protect each of your containers with plants preferred by snails and also forRaised beds provide protection against snailsideally suited. For each pot or box, follow these instructions:
- Thoroughly clean the exterior to remove dust, grease and other dirt. This is the only way the tape can stick well.
- Stick a ribbon around the pot. The two ends should touch at the end.
- Glue another tape underneath at a distance of at least one centimeter.
- Take the two vials and cut off the necks. The height of the remaining shelves should be sufficient so that the battery still has space in it after being plugged together.
- Poke two holes for the cables in one of the two bottle parts.
- Feed the two cables through the holes. Fix the inside and outside with hot glue.
- Plug the connector onto the battery.
- Place the battery in the other bottle base and fit both plastic parts together.
- Connect the bare wire ends to the additional wires.
- Insulate the connection point with insulation, e.g. B. heat it with a hairdryer. This causes the material to contract and enclose the cables. Alternatively, you can also wrap electrical tape around the cables.
- Using a soldering iron, attach the ends of the long cables to the copper tape, one cable per row of tape.
- The copper fence is now under tension. The slugs (or other species of snails) complete the circuit through the snail slime when they try to cross the paths.
We also found a wonderful video guide for this snail defense. Check them out to get a better idea of how to do it. You will also learn how you can build an electric fence for individual bedding plants.
Also keep these things in mind if you make the snail fence yourself
- The distance between the two copper strips should not be too small, otherwise a short circuit may occur.
- Short circuits discharge the battery very quickly, which also means that the effect of the fence is lost.
- A short circuit can also occur due to rain. This risk is reduced the greater the distance between the copper tracks.
- But remember: For the fence to be effective, the snail must touch both metal tracks. If the distance is too large, smaller snails could easily cross it.
- If, despite the fence, you ever notice damage to the plants that appears to be caused by snails, you may have introduced snail eggs into the bed/pot, which can happen quickly, especially with the soil. In any case, look for the culprit and remove it.
- An empty battery can also be the cause of a lack of effect. Measure their tension and replace them if necessary.
More options against snailscan be found here.
Cover image: Dean Clarke/Shutterstock
