The other day I had a chat with an AI – as one does these days – asking for suggestions on how to build a robotic platform to exterminate the slugs that are infesting our garden. It suggested electro-shocking as means of murder and either a stationary platform with an arm, or a mobile hexapod roamer. As a result I’m starting to look into computer vision and robotics solutions – here’s a similar Hackaday project – to complement my own low tech extermination efforts.
This is new: I’ve previously refrained from killing slugs – I couldn’t consolidate a “minimize pain” approach with killing slugs directly. I’ve gone as far as spreading iron phosphate pellets, reasoning that it gives them a sporting chance not to eat the stuff, and a painless death otherwise. Weak approach, I know.
But this year I planted 40-something tobacco plants which I’m hoping to turn into cigars, and even though I waited as long as I could before putting them in the ground, the fucking critters decimated them. I had hoped that the nicotine would keep the pests away – it seems to keep insects and deer at bay – but one night I plucked over 150 slugs from just one group of tobacco plants. One hundred and fifty! And that’s when I lost my patience with the slimy things and started going after them with a guillotine. But this is a losing proposition – the number of snails in the surrounding areas is so great that for evey one I decapitate, two more show up to take its place.
So next year I’m going full defensive and put up an electric fence around all things I’d like to keep, as well as agressively pursue slugs. Be it with pellets or a robot with a death laser.
Side note: I’m growing four kinds of tobacco. Two traditional Swedish types – Alida & Per-Pers – as well as Havanna and Monte Calme. I can’t say that I see all that much difference between the plants, but I’ll try to keep them apart when I dry them so to see if I (or more likely Sara) can taste a difference. I got them from tilbudet.se.