Tools Available for Bulimulus Snail Management

“Bulimulus snail management is an ongoing challenge, but we have some tools to help!” researcher Lauren Diepenbrock stated in her recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presentation.

CHALLENGES

Diepenbrock, associate professor of entomology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center, reported that not every Florida grove is infested with the snails. But those with infestations find the snails challenging. The researcher stated that the snails: 

• Clog microjets, impacting the distribution of water and micronutrients if growers are fertigating
• Defoliate young trees under individual protective covers
• Exacerbate previous damage

ACTIVITY

Trapping data since March 2023 shows trends that suggest snail activity is tightly tied to moisture levels through most of the year, Diepenbrock reported. In hot, dry periods, snail activity appears limited to evening, overnight and early morning times. Snails appear to “disappear” in cooler temperatures.

PESTICIDES

Diepenbrock suggested that snails, fresh leaves and sand be lightly sprayed with water to ensure snail bodies are exposed to pesticide. Chemistries with abamectin have the greatest contact mortality. To work in the field, this material must make contact with the snail’s body, the researcher emphasized. But there is no residual activity of abamectin for the snails, she reported.

She noted that evaluation is underway of a new bait from Apex Bait Technologies that looks to be as effective as the most effective currently available bait chemistry, but with fewer potential non-target effects. More data will be coming on this product.

HISTORY

Diepenbrock wrote about the Bulimulus snail in a 2023 Citrus Industry article, Developing Management for a New Snail Pest. She reported then that the snail “has been growing in population throughout the Southeast for the past few years. Growers first reported concerns about this snail in 2020 when they found the pest covering microjets and interfering with irrigation in the late spring/early summer. At the time, it was assumed that this organism would not be a large challenge for citrus growers. That assumption was incorrect. Since the early finds of this pest in 2020, populations have increased within groves and spread throughout much of the state. These snails have also been found in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.”

See Diepenbrock’s full snail management presentation here.