Page 25 - Dainfern Precinct Living 2 2021

NATURE

Giant African Land Snail (Achatina fulica) in Hyderabad Little achatina By Timur V. Voronkov

n 1966, a kid from Miami, produce batches of fertilised eggs over (roundworm) that causes eosinophilic
Florida, brought three giant a period of months, although the sperm meningoencephalitis in humans.
snails home, smuggled in can also be stored by the snail for up to
his luggage all the way from two years before fertilising any eggs. HOW CAN ONE ERADICATE
Hawaii. For whatever reason, AND DISPOSE OF THEM?
he thought they would make Between 100 and 500 eggs are laid The first message here comes across
Icool gifts for his grandmother. at a time. The eggs hatch one to loudly and clearly – DO NOT SIMPLY
Perhaps Grandma was one of those three weeks later and the baby snails THROW THEM IN YOUR RUBBISH
‘off the wall’ kinds of people but this reach sexual maturity five to eight DESITINED FOR LANDFILL!
time round she was not impressed months after hatching. And that’s Spraying them with vinegar is
with the new pets, so she threw how a plague of Giant African Land suggested, or sprinkling them with
them out into her garden. Seven Snails can develop in a relatively Diatomaceous earth could be a
years later, the Florida Department short period of time. solution.
of Agriculture estimated there were
more than 18 000 of these exotic The Giant African Land Snail is now Surround your plants with rings of
invasive pests in the state, wreaking found on every continent around the wheat bran or corn bran – you can
havoc on crops and causing damage globe (except for Antarctica). Apart buy these products from health food
to buildings. It took them more than a from being smuggled across borders stores. They are eaten by slugs and
decade to eradicate them, only to see by exotic pet traders, it is transported snails and the ingested bran then
a resurgence in 2011. To date, they over large distances via cargoes causes desiccation and death. This
are still fighting the battle to save of agricultural products and, as it is a totally organic solution, and if
Florida’s agricultural industry from the can survive in a state of aestivation wildlife eat the corpses, they are
plague of snails. (dormancy to avoid excessive heat getting extra nutrition. However, you
and dryness) for years, just as need to replenish the bran regularly
One of the largest terrestrial authorities declare that they have in rainy weather.
gastropods, the Giant African Land the infestation under control, when
Snail (Achatina fulica) hails from weather conditions improve, out they Although this has not been discussed
East Africa and its natural habitat pop again. in any of the research material
stretches all the way from the north- available, speaking as a true South
eastern region of Kwazulu Natal WHY ARE THEY SUCH A African male, I would suggest
through Mozambique, Tanzania and THREAT TO HUMANS AND THE incinerating them along with any
Kenya to Somalia and Ethiopia. It has ENVIRONMENT? eggs that you find. And then burying
an average lifespan of 5 – 7 years, They are voracious feeders, the ash under a reasonable layer of
although it can live longer in ideal consuming around 500 different soil in a corner of the garden.
conditions. This snail can grow up species of plants. Not only do they
to 20cm in length and its shell can climb into and devastate agricultural Whatever you do, with the Giant
extend up to 7cm in height. When crops such as coffee, cocoa and African Land Snail featuring
it is fully grown, its shell will have rubber plantations, they also love prominently on the list of Top 100
between 7 and 9 spirals, which are fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains. Most Invasive Species in the World,
normally dark or medium brown with They are known to eat the bark and it’s recommended that the handling
stripes at intervals. stems of trees, seaweed, lichens, (using suitable gloves and other
fungi and even other snails. Because protection) and disposal of these
Although classified as hermaphrodites, they need calcium for their shells, ‘cute snails on steroids’ should be
(having both male and female sex they are capable of eating the done with caution.
organs), reproduction requires cross- plaster off buildings, as well as sand,
fertilisation. Mating involves both a concrete and even bones.
‘getting to know each other phase’ and RESOURCES
copulation which normally takes place They are hosts to a number of www.aphis.usda.gov
www.cabi.org
at night. From a single mating, the parasites, including Angiostrongylus
individual that received the sperm can cantonensis, a nematode www.biokids.umichu.edu
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