Squirrels, slugs and AI in the garden

Squirrels don’t just eat nuts; some of them are nuts. In my yard, there is one particular squirrel that is definitely nuts: It eats slug bait.

I had carefully made a little trail of tiny Sluggo pellets around the perimeter of a planting of green bean seedlings. I came in the house, looked out the window, and was astonished to see the squirrel trace my steps, gobbling up each and every tiny pellet. I was astonished.

Then, for no discernable reason, it hopped up onto the porch and climbed the screen door, a feat made possible by sharp claws on nimble feet. It displayed its spread-eagled underside to the cat locked inside, quivering with desire to ... well who knows what the cat wanted to do. Soon the squirrel leaped off the screen and ran off.

Maybe it climbed the screen door because eating slug bait gets it high. But I can’t find any online information to support that theory. I can, however, find an ocean of information about slug bait, with the Google’s new and improved AI-enabled search prowess. I asked it “Why would a squirrel eat slug bait?” And it replied “Squirrels will eat slug bait because the pellets are deliberately formulated with food-based attractants like molasses, bran, and grain or wheat derivatives. Because squirrels are omnivores and foragers, these sweet and savory scents are highly appealing and mimic their natural diet.” OK, so maybe my squirrel wasn’t high.

Modern slug baits, such as Sluggo and Corry’s, contain iron phosphate, which makes slugs and snails stop eating and die in two or three days. Iron phosphate is commonly regarded as organic and harmless to other creatures, unlike the slug bait of yore, which contained metaldehyde, which killed dogs and cats. Still, some people think the inactive ingredients of modern slug bait may cause harm if large amounts are ingested. The definition of “large amounts” depends on the size of the eater. A hungry squirrel, we’re informed, might eat enough to get a belly ache; a gluttonous squirrel could get serious digestive trouble.

My resident squirrel — well I think that’s who did it — likes slug bait so much it chewed through the plastic container of Sluggo for a bedtime or breakfast meal. I’m guessing that caused a bad case of indigestion.

Clearly, the world needs a slug bait that is less attractive to non-slugs.

Few of us have ever thought about what foods slugs like but squirrels don’t. Fortunately, while astronauts were circling the moon, more down-to-earth scientists were studying this question. The National Library of Medicine website features a very thorough research study that concluded that a simple formulation of flour, water and yeast was the runaway slug favorite. Oregon State University’s Extension Service has provided the recipe and an excellent illustrated set of instructions on how to make and use it. It’s a slurry, liquid enough for slugs to fall in and drown, attractive because of the yeasty smell of fermentation, but missing the grain and sweeteners that attract rodents.

Just to confirm this information, I asked AI “Is the water, flour and yeast formula for slug bait less attractive to squirrels than Sluggo?” And AI replied with three sources affirming that it is. Only one of the sources was the OSU Extension Service; one was Reddit posting and the other was a YouTube video. AI is not very smart or discerning about choosing sources.

And that’s the important takeaway from this little AI-enabled adventure: It’s fun to have a more nimble and responsive online search function that can respond to fairly complex questions, and suggest related questions you wouldn’t have thought to ask.

But the bottom line is the same as ever: The heart of all research is checking your sources. In this case, the goofy squirrel that climbed the screen door will be more reliable source than a lot of what AI will recommend.