Simple, eco-friendly and economical
control of Spanish slugs.
Protect your garden from invasive Spanish slugs using the unique UFOstation, which
will not harm other wildlife.
DESIGN
UFOstation consists of 3 parts:
Lid:
Protects the pellets from rain and watering.
Allows inspection of the amount of pellets.
Allows easy refilling.
Roof:
Built-in funnel-shaped container for slug pellets that continuously fills the feed bowl in line with consumption.
The distance between the base and the roof is 14 mm, preventing access for snails, birds, and hedgehogs.
Base:
Built-in feed bowl, raised 2.5 cm above the ground, protecting the slug pellets from flooding during heavy rain.
Flat at the bottom. It need not be dug in and can be placed on flat ground (terrace and beds).
Dimensions: Ø 200 mm, H 76 mm
UFOstation is design-protected via EUIPO, the European Union’s Office for Intellectual Property.
UFOstation is trademark protected via the Patent and Trademark Office.
ACTION
UFOstation is a feeding station with slug pellets:
Each pellet contains a bait. The many pellets in the UFOstation collectively attract slugs within 2-3 meters.
The slugs enter the UFOstation, eat some of the pellets, leave the UFOstation, go away, hide, and die. It is recommended to use slug pellets containing iron phosphate. These pellets have a delayed effect, so that the slugs do not die in the UFO station, but only later in their hiding place
BENEFITS
UFOstationen:
- Uses slug pellets with iron phosphate. There is no need for additional bait (beer or similar).
- Can be placed directly at ground level in beds and on terraces. No need for digging.
- Can remain in the bed, even if watered with a sprinkler. The design protects the pellets from water from rain and garden watering.
- Is environmentally friendly and economical to use. There is no waste of slug pellets.
- The pellets are not watered into the soil and thus do not affect worms or crops.
- Only the amount of pellets, that are actually eaten by slugs, is used. ½ dl slug pellets will last most of a season.
- Does not need to be emptied of dead slugs.
- Is easy to refill and inspect.
- Is easy to clean.
- Spares snails, hedgehogs, worms etc.
PLACEMENT
It is not possible to eliminate all the slugs in the garden, only to reduce their number, so that we don’t have to share the majority the plants with the slugs.
UFOstations must be placed, so that the slugs are attracted to them, before they reach the plants in the bed. Do not place a UFOstation in the middle of the bed (then the slugs need to go through the bed to reach it).
Place UFOstations at the edge of the bed, so that the slugs have to pass between two UFOstations (max. 5 m apart) to enter the bed.
In the case of a solitary plant, a UFOstation is placed as close to the plant as possible.
When the UFOstations are placed, the lid is removed and approx. ½ dl slug pellets is filled into the funnel. The lid is then pressed back into place. It is easiest to fill in pellets with the UFOstation on the ground.
CLEANING
The UFOstation is made of quality plastic (polypropylene and the lid in polycarbonate) and intended to last many seasons.
When the season is over, all the UFOstations are collected. Excess slug pellets are discarded.
They are easily separated (Base, Roof and Lid) and cleaned with a dish brush.
Once separated they can be cleaned in the dishwasher at 40 degrees Celsius.
After cleaning, the UFOstations are assembled again and are ready for the next season.
SLUG PELLETS
The active substance in slug pellets is iron phosphate. Iron in small amounts is important and beneficial to both humans, animals and plants, but in larger doses it is toxic. Slugs (and snails) that eat slug pellets die from iron poisoning.
Slug pellets also contain flour and a chelat complex forming agen EDDS (ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid).
Iron phosphate itself is not very toxic to slugs. They do not absorb iron phosphate very well, but by adding a complexing agent, the slug’s absorption of the iron compound increases dramatically.
A complexing agent increases the solubility of metals (iron, but also heavy metals) so that they are more easily absorbed by both animals and plants.
The authorities have found a negative impact on a number of environmentally friendly animals, including worms, beetles, parasitic wasps and hedgehogs, but it has been estimated that the impact was acceptable. However, it is not known how many species in the gardens are affected and how. Therefore, it is probably best to keep the use of slug pellets to a minimum.
See more here (Danish):
http://www.gourmethaven.dk/artikel/vis.php?id=244
https://www.sundhed.dk/borger/patienthaandbogen/akutte-sygdomme/sygdomme/forgiftninger/jernforgiftning/
https://www.havenyt.dk/artikler/dyrkningsmetoder/skade_og_nyttedyr/311.html
ABOUT
Bjarne Stigsby
Is a medical doctor, but also a nature lover and enthusiastic gardener. Previously lived close to Lyngby Åmose (nature conservation) and had serious challenges with invasive Spanish slugs. At the same time, there were also hedgehogs and many burgundy snails, which the children gave names with a felt-tip pen on the snail shell, so that they could recognize them again. This led to the invention of the UFOstation.
The UFOstation is produced in Denmark by the company Rika Plast. Because of the resemblance to a UFO, it was named UFOstation.
Rika Plast
Delivers quality products produced in Denmark. Rika Plast is ISO 9001 certified according to Danish standards. Rika Plast produces and sells UFOstation wholesale.