Agricultural Officials Declare War on the White Garden Snail

The battle against the white garden snail has been joined. State officials manning the front lines have begun laying bait in Oceanside and soon will spread the war to other parts of the county.

The goal is to eradicate the white garden snail because, if not destroyed, it threatens a host of commercial agricultural crops.

An exotic pest that is native to Mediterranean climates, the white snail was first found in various areas of San Diego County about five years ago, said Garry Reese, chief of agriculture services for the county. This is believed to be the third infestation since 1919.

Although the pest, which will eat just about anything in a garden from plants to fruits and vegetables to citrus, has not reached commercial fruit and vegetable areas, it could bring severe financial losses if it does, Reese said.

Residential areas of Imperial Beach, Lakeside and Encanto will have bait applied to their gardens after they are notified by the California Department of Agriculture, said Brian Taylor, head of the department’s snail eradication program.

Taylor said three applications at three-week intervals will be used as part of a continuing program to get rid of the snails, which may have gotten to Southern California via a crate from overseas or someone who released them. Taylor said the snails are often eaten as a delicacy.

Two kinds of bait and poison will be used on the snails. One will be a sand-like granular bait that will be used on lawns and around ornamental plants, Taylor said.

The other mixture will be a paste-like material that will be put out in drops on gardens with edible plants.

Both mixtures will be laced with a mixture of 2% metaldehyde and 1% methiocarb that attracts the snails and kills them when they ingest it, Taylor said.

The thing that makes the white snail worse than the brown snail is that it can live through dry periods by sealing itself in its shell, Reese said.