Last night as I was shutting up the house I spotted an unusual bumpy line in grass in my back yard. Curious as ever, I headed on out to check what it could be, camera and torch at the ready. CRUNCH! Something under my feet made a loud noise which was followed by a slippery sensation… Aghhhhh SNAILS! Gross. There was a huge line of them emanating from one drain and going the whole way across to the next - about 15 metres long!

I took some photos, see below, and came into work armed with loads of questions - what’s the best way to get rid of snails? why are the snails in such large numbers? what on earth did the snails want with my lawn (seriously - it’s terribly maintained and has no vegetables or even decent living plants), can I just let the snails carry on?

This is not the normal type of pest that Conquer Termites come up against (as our name suggests we mostly Conquer our customers Termite issues with a bit of pest control on the side) but I thought it was relevant given that other people may also be experiencing this influx of slimy hard shelled foliage munchers. After a quick chat with one of my technicians I was now armed with some methods of removing these guys from my yard:

1. Hand picking them & binning them - best done in late evening or after rain (not my favourite answer as its sure to be time consuming but very environmentally friendly)
2. Copper tape around areas where you don’t want them to get into - there is a reaction between the copper and their slime kind of like an electric shock
3. Crushed egg shells in garden beds/pots - sharp and nasty to snails so they avoid it
4. Beer traps - beer (yeast more specifically) attracts snails and if you place it in a deep dish they will head on in, get drunk and then drown.
5. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) - use the non toxic food grade type and be very careful - make sure you wear a mask as DE has very small particles that can cause respiratory issues.
6. Failing all of the above, you may want to turn to a Snail/Slug Pesticide - if you are worried about which one to choose, give Conquer Termites a call and we will help you decide (For the record Metaldehyde is natural compound but also very toxic so don’t use it if you have pets or children who may come in contact with it).

I, myself was not too perturbed (intrigued yes, but not too concerned) by the presence of these little guys so have let them continue on their journey across my grassy backyard.

If you have an unusual visitor or something that’s worrying you, give Conquer Termites a call, we are all trained pest experts and always happy to help with some friendly free advice.

Phone: 1300 417 007 - Email: info@conquertermites.com.au