From garage to 150 slug traps a day: Viimsi resident uses nine 3D printers to meet demand
After Spanish slugs destroyed his garden, Hendrik Võrno from Viimsi designed a slug trap and now produces up to 150 units a day using nine 3D printers in his garage.
Hendrik Võrno, a resident of Viimsi, has developed a trap for Spanish slugs after pests destroyed the plants in his garden. Demand for the device is now so high that nine 3D printers are working simultaneously in his garage, producing traps for customers across Estonia.
Speaking on the TV show "Ringvaade," Võrno said he ran into the problem shortly after moving to Viimsi municipality four years ago. He had heard that there were a lot of slugs in the area but thought it was an exaggeration. At one point, he went out onto the terrace and saw that his beautiful petunias had died. When he lifted the pot, it turned out to be literally teeming with slugs, and the plants had been completely eaten. Later he found slugs all over the property, especially in the shady corners of the garden — in total there were hundreds.
At first he tried to fight the pests with poison, but this method proved too expensive. During the peak season, poison could cost 130–150 euros a month. He began looking for a way to use it more economically, so that rain would not wash it away and birds could not get to it. That is how the slug trap came about. A mixture of dry yeast and sugar is placed in the central part, which begins to ferment under the influence of moisture and attracts slugs with its smell. Granulated poison is put into the lower container. The slug follows the smell, sticks its head inside, eats the poison and crawls away.
Võrno initially posted a video about his invention on Instagram to attract followers, but soon received dozens of messages from people who wanted to buy the same trap. Within 48 hours, he had his own company. He started with one printer, and now has nine, with orders arriving from all over Estonia.
He always advises placing traps around the perimeter of a property every five metres or so, because it is better not to let slugs into the garden at all. But traps only work if the owner is also ready to pay attention to them. As bait, Võrno uses a mixture of sugar and dry yeast in equal proportions. The trap is secured in the ground with a stake so that animals cannot turn it over. During the period of highest slug activity, the bait has to be renewed every three to four days, although the intensity of visits can vary between traps.
Võrno's main job is related to electric vehicles, and he has been doing 3D printing for a long time, using it to make prototypes and various tools. Today his nine 3D printers can produce up to 150 traps a day. "If everything goes without glitches, about 150 traps can be made in a day. But you won't get rich from this business," he said with a smile.
