Subject: Re: non-toxic snail control
From: Kjeanh <kjeanh@aol.com>
Organization:
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 98 13:11:09
Message-ID: <MOD$980618.003@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
>Here's one that works, but it's not for everyone. For eleven years we owned
>a
>pair of eastern box turtles. No snails, no slugs. They spent their morning
>hours wandering around the yard hunting 'em down. At mid-day they crawl
>under
>a bush and go to sleep. They are small, low maintenance pets, too. They are
>feed worms at the pet store, but we rarely did. They seemed perfectly happy
>on
>their own. When fully grown they measure only 6 inches long by 4 inches wide
>and 3 inches high. They don't bite and fortunately for gardeners, they eat
>slow moving bugs & slugs, not plants. They do eat fallen fruit and I once
>saw
>them eat some lettuce, but it is not their main diet. You need to keep a
>dish
>of water out and have a fenced yard so they don't walk off. Also, dogs think
>they are chew toys, which is why we finally had to give them away. Yes, we
>now
>have a dog. And, yes, the snails and slugs have returned. I now have to
>hand
>pick them.
>
>Jim Palm
You know, this sounds like a great idea, except I would feel a little weird
releasing Eastern Box Tutles into the environment here (West Coast). Anyone
know if there are any problems keeping turtles in Northern Ca? Are there some
natives that wouldn't be a problem if they escaped?
I was disappointed to hear that the nematode mentioned earlier are native to
the UK. That means they will probably not be allowed for use here. Decollate
snails are also not permitted in Northern Ca as they might endanger the native
snail/slug populations which make up an important part of the coastal
ecosystem. For those of you who were wondering about the "snail fence"--a
peice of window screening with the top wires removed--I tried it and, though it
slows them down a little, it doesn't deter my snails. I'm beginning to think I
should invest in a copper mine and just surround everythin with copper. :-)
Kelly
e-mail to orangerose@aoldotcom