Although snails top the list of the slowest creatures on the habitable earth, they can cause massive damage to your crops. Today, rice farmers in Mwea, Kirinyaga County are struggling to protect their crops from the devastating havoc of these invasive pests.
The struggle has been real to the extent of forcing the government to consider forming a task force to tackle the snail menace. In Nyandarua County, horticultural farmers have incurred massive losses as snails leave a trail of destruction in their vegetable fields.
Snails Damage on Crops
Snails are a major concern considering a single one can damage up to a square meter of crop field in one night. Besides, they feed on a wide variety of crops, eating young seedlings, leaves, fruits, and flowers. Fortunately, farmers can use the following snail control methods in Kenya to manage the pest populations and cushion themselves from massive damage to their crops.
Snail Control Through Cultural Practices
- Consider Mulching
Some farmers use rough or sharp mulches such as crushed eggshells and diatomaceous earth to deter snails. Such rough mulches irritate the snails as they crawl, thus slowing their invasion of your farm.
- Remove Shelter and Habitat
You can clear debris, weeds, and dense vegetation where snails hide during the day.
- Practice Crop Rotation
Snails prefer some crops more than others. Avoid planting snail-favorite crops in the same area repeatedly.
Biological Methods that can help Suppress Snail Population
- Use Natural Predators
Farmers can encourage ducks to feed on snails. The birds will feed on snails and help improve the soil by releasing their waste as manure.
- Use of Nematodes
Parasitic nematodes such as Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita infect and kill snails. The nematode parasite has been in use for over three decades in European countries such as the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom.
Controlling Snails Through Mechanical Methods
- Handpick the Snails
Small-scale farmers can collect snails during the early morning or evening when they are active and dump them elsewhere. This method can be effective in small-scale farming, especially kitchen gardens.
- Set up Barriers and Traps
Some farmers create traps and fill them with sugar water or beer to lure and drown snails. The fermented smell of beer is pleasant to these creatures. As the snails crave to find where the odor comes from, they fall into the beer trap and find it difficult to crawl out.
You can also use copper mesh or tape around your traps. Copper can react with slime (mucus produced by snails). Besides, the metal has an inherent electrical charge that shocks the snail when it tries to crawl a length of it. The pest will prefer to crawl away.
Using Chemicals to Control Snails
You can use iron phosphate or metaldehyde-based baits to lure snails and kill them. When these pests consume iron phosphate, it interferes with calcium metabolism in the gut. The snails will stop eating the copper almost immediately and die within a few days.
Although snails dislike copper sulphate, adding it to bait would only repel the pests. They aren’t likely to consume bait laced with copper sulphate unless you aim to just repel them.
For natural repellants, you can use a caffeine or garlic-based spray.
Alternative Practices that will help Control Snails
You can choose to grow snail-favorite crops such as strawberries and cabbages away from your main crops. It helps divert their attention, thus reducing infestation. Besides, you can plant snail-repelling plants such as mint, rosemary, or lavender between your main crop to keep these creatures away.
Physical barriers have also proven effective in controlling snails. You can choose to cover your crops with a fine mesh to keep the snails away. Another physical barrier is sand or gravel. The materials create an abrasive surface around crops and hinder movement.
Modifying the environment can help manage snail population in your farm. Since snails thrive in moist conditions, you can minimize moisture in your farm by reducing overwatering. Further, you can allow the soil to stay dry for a short period to discourage snail activity.
Effective snail management requires an integrated approach. A single control method may not be effective. Regularly inspect your farms for signs of snail activity. Determine the two or more methods that will work well with your farm size and setting, crop type, and infestation level.