SNAILS!!!

I have had good luck with lukewarm coffee for bush snails. I just pour it over the potting media.

 

Caffeine could kill them, but it requires quite high concentration according to a scientific paper. At the concentration (1% caffeine), it killed a lot of my orchids, so I wouldn't recommend it (and it didn't eliminate the bush snails). It is surprising to hear that people say that it works at a very low concentration.

After recommendation from Marni, I tried Sevin, and it seems to be effective. But it doesn't achieve the complete elimination (Marni mentioned this, too).

I also tried tank-mixing Sevin, Physan 20 and Neem oil. The first 2 acts on the different aspects of snails, and Neem was shown to make the snail more hungry. So they get exposed to the toxin (snails move around instead of staying in the shell). I also tried Sevin + liquid Deadline (metaldehyde) + Neem. Some molluscicide combines carbaryl and metaldehyde. But liquid deadline is pretty messy to spray, so I quit using it.

Marni, have you tried Metaldehyde (deadline M-Ps) and/or sluggo pellets in the pots (instead of on the bench)? No toxicity to plants?

Also I wonder if anyone tried Orthene (acephate). Angela (abax), who used to be here long time ago, mentioned that it works. I looked for scientific literature, and there hasn't been any info about this as a molluscicide. However, by looking at how it acts on insects (neurotoxin), I can see a possibility that it could work against snails. Phytotoxicicity is supposed to be low.

 

Thank you, Marni. I recently ran out of Neem (it's kind of expensive to use it for drenching), but the residue might be from the time with Neem. I'll experiment with it.

I did try my first Orthene last night, so I'll see how it goes with it and Sevin alternately used.

I think liquid Slug Fest is discontinued, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Is 7% metaldehyde granules Durham 7.5%? Is it still available? I tried to look for it, but I haven't located it. Since bush snails are not attracted by the attractants, the one without it sounds better.

It is interesting that Sluggo works. Hollingsworth paper mentioned that it didn't work, so they didn't see any lethality from it. I heard another person said that Sluggo has some effects, so I should give it a try.

You are probably right that we can't beat them. I'm trying to breed the snails in a container so that I can do some experiments. But surprisingly, it isn't easy to grow (they don't multiply quickly). Weird...

 

Anyone know where it can be purchased?

 

Thanks for the link, Marni. I'm also trying to find the place to get them. I contacted Or-Cal, and they said they sell them to Ag distributors such as Wilbur Ellis, Simplot, Helena and Crop Production Services. I contacted all 4 (no reply yet), but I have a feeling that they won't sell it to individuals. For Durham, Amvac seems to have two products; Duhram Ornamental 7.5 (link) and Durham Metaldehyde Granules 7.5 (link). It's the same company who makes Deadline M-Ps. Ray, you used to sell M-Ps, do you have a lead on finding Durham?

 

Leave it to a scientist to start breeding the snails so he can figure out what best to kill them with. That is a great idea Naoki!

 

I have a isolated group of plants that has some bush snails in the medium. They mostly grown semi-hydroponically, using lightweight clay aggregate (LECA) as medium. I had an some of these snails in the past and used a 1% caffeine spray which really did a good job eliminating the snails but almost eliminated the orchids too. It really stunted root and plant growth about a year and killed a few plants. I've heard about hosta growers using an ammonia solution to get rid of slugs and snails.

Doing a few experiments, a 10% ammonia solution kills the small snails on contact. I wonder what effect it would have if I saturated the top medium of the affected orchids with 10% ammonia and then rinsed with water in 30 minutes or so? Has anyone tried something like this before or care to share your thoughts on this approach?

 

Interesting, e-spice. Was it a quick kill with 10% ammonium (liquid)? Sometime, those bastards look dead after the initial exposure, but after a couple days, they start to move again. So after you expose them, it is better to keep them in a container, and see if they move.

Ammonium is a nutrient for plants, but at a higher concentration, it becomes phytotoxic. I don't know at what concentration, though.

Currently, I'm using overdosed metaldehyde granules. I can't get the higher concentration granules, so I'm using the lower concentration version. I give lots of granules per pot (10 granules or so per 2.25" square pot, I think). Bush snails are not attracted to these as the bait (according to a scientific paper), but I think the leached out metaldehyde can keep the snail population low. Even though it is higher than the recommended dosage, I haven't seen any toxicity to plants (mold starts to grow, but plants aren't bothered by them, neither). For the mount, I have to use Sevin. It doesn't give residues by itself (as Marni mentioned), but I think the residue problem I mentioned above is actually from mixing Sevin with Physan 20.

 

Hi All,

Been on the road traveling again so limited time to converse on the forum. From my scatter the granules approach, I have found less success of late with any type of the "store brand bait", whether metaldehyde or other formulations for slugs or snails. I have tried overdosing with a barrier around the plant as Naoki suggests with better success...although a few super slugs just go right across and still get those precious Masdevallia blooms. I have just purchased (online), a gallon of the Orcal Slugfest. A friend of mine swears by it as very effective against the bush snails as well as slugs. He does not dry out his plants as has been mentioned in earlier posts. Will post whether successful or not.

 

Thanks to everyone for replying.

naoki - Yes, it kills them on direct contact at 10%. On multiple occasions I've observed them for several days and they never moved at all or came out of their shell. It may kill them at less of a concentration, I'll try 5% the next time I catch one. See here for some hosta grower discussion: Hostas:Talk me into the ammonia thing... They discuss saturating the soil with the solution and that's why I started wondering about that with orchids and bush snails.

e-spice

 

Durham