"For me, it all began four years ago when we moved to Viimsi and I had heard that there were a lot of slugs here, but it seemed exaggerated. At some point I stepped onto my terrace and discovered that all my beautiful petunias were completely dead. When I lifted the edge of the plant, I found the pot full of slugs and everything eaten," Võrno recalled.

Investigating further, he found slime trails everywhere. "Especially in the corners of the garden, in shadier spots, there were slugs in thick numbers. We're talking about hundreds of slugs across the property," Võrno added.

Alternative to expensive solution

At first, Võrno tried killing the slugs with poison. "But it's quite expensive and you need a lot of poison. At peak times, it could cost 130–150 euros a month. I started looking for alternatives to serve the poison in smaller quantities than just scattering it in the garden, and so that birds and rain wouldn't destroy it."

The solution was a bait house for slugs. "The trap works so that the inner cylindrical part holds a mixture of dry yeast and sugar, which starts to ferment due to moisture, and that smell attracts the slugs inside. A lower‑rimmed container holds the slug poison. The slug comes for the smell, puts its head through the door, and since it can't see much, it eats everything it encounters. It fills its stomach with poison and goes on its way," Võrno explained.

The inventor made an Instagram video to bring viewers to his channel, but dozens of people began writing to him wanting the trap for themselves. "Forty‑eight hours later I had a company. I started with one printer and today I have nine 3D printers. Orders come from all over Estonia," Võrno said.

Placing the trap correctly

One house is not enough. "I always recommend placing them around the perimeter at about five‑meter intervals, because you don't want them entering your garden at all. It only works if you're willing to put in the effort and deal with it."

Inside the trap, Võrno places a bait mixture, then the lid goes on. "You place the trap, and finally you drive a stake through the lid into the ground. The stake keeps the box in place and the lid on," Võrno explained. "So hedgehogs, birds and other animals can't reach the contents."

At peak season, Võrno adds bait every three to four days. "Some traps are visited less. Slugs have paths where they move more."

Võrno works daily with electric vehicles, and 3D printing has helped him for a long time. Before making snail traps, he used a 3D printer to quickly prototype something or make a tool.

Now nine 3D printers in his garage produce the trap houses. "If everything runs smoothly and there are no problems, 150 traps a day is doable. But you won't get rich with this business," Võrno said.

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