I would agree with desalination i delivered a couple of loads towards a desalination plant in dubi (UAE) in the seventies, you would not think that place was a desert now would you?

I think straw keeps them clean enough, re. the slugs, woodies, earwigs,ants, ect. on my allotment they don"t seem to touch them till they are ripe, so I pick them a day or two early and they ripen nearly over night, ( jobs a gudden).

tigerburnie is right they do not like lead, we are not allowed air guns on our allotment so I use the big rat trap (spring type) with Nutella chocolate on it with good results