[PLUG-TALK] making/faking cheap beer for slugs

[Denis Heidtmann]

On Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 12:00 AM, Keith Lofstrom <keithl at gate.kl-ic.com>wrote:

> On Sat, Jun 09, 2012 at 11:42:42PM -0700, Paul Mullen wrote:
> >
> > I wonder if the fermentation is even necessary.  Would plain sugar
> > water be enough to attract the slugs?
>
> I don't think they can smell sugar - yeast can be plenty stinky.
> It does lead to an interesting question - what molecules are they
> actually smelling, and can those be added to plain water?
>
> The good thing about yeast is that it can grow and multiply.  So
> the trick is making slug slop with the proper nutrients for yeast
> reproduction, without helping something nasty reproduce instead.
> I assume that means sterile conditions and skill so that the yeast
> are the only living things involved.  I also assume that if I keep
> things clean, I can dilute mature yeasty slop with more sterile
> raw materials and get fast reproduction.  Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
> yeast have a two hour generation time at 30C, so the real problem
> may be preserving uncontaminated starter between batches.
>
> Chances are, the reason slugs are attracted to yeast is for that
> very reason - they can process yeast, rather than pathogens
> processing them.  So a yeast smell is a safety signal that
> pathogens are absent.
>
> Keith

Gardens Alive sells a product Escar-go.  I like the name.

-Denis
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