I need a snail remedy !!!

[articuno75]

I need to repot an orchid and found these little tiny snails. So tiny that picking would be a pain. Is there a easier method? I thought about taking the whole plant, pot and all and drowning in wormtea at first. Think it would help I don't know if the orchid could handle a beer bath

[nenella]

Hi,
I dont really know about wormtea as havent used it yet (havent found a supplier in Europe yet...) I know beer works...but as you mentioned i dont think the orchid would appreciate it ! and i dont think you can leave it in the beer long enough to drown them!
If you are repotting you could try and take off all the medium and rincing the plant under a tap to "wash the slugs" away? you could also then leave the plants roots submerged in just water for ..? 1/2 hour or more to "drown" the remaining snails a - and/or depending on pot size put beer into a bottle top -whether metal or plastic depending on "space" you have in pot...
hope this helps, I have not had the problem yet... - Good Luck !! I would be interested to know the outcome!

[digitalgate]

Soak the plant for 15 minute and the snail will float to the top.
Hopefully the snail is not the water snail!

[sandra]

Worm tea will not do any more for this than water, alone. Save the worm tea for what's it meant for. Invite those critters over for a beer. I've read over and over here that it will do the job. Do a search on beer bait. It's all over the forum.

[articuno75]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to share a bottle of George Killian's Irish Red with them and wait

[abneofelis]

I have snail problems as well. It amazes me that such tiny things can eat so much!I just pick them off and hope for the best... though, a good sturdy physan soaking may work

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

The greatest damage I ever had, worse than the Fusarium, was from bush snails (the tiny ones) and my misguided attempts to get rid of them. They are very damaging to plants in a course mix like bark. They live in the bark, eating off the green root tips. I would unpot a Catt to find that the root system looked like a Cholla cactus. The roots had grown only a short distance, been stopped by the loss of a tip, then sprouted side roots , which also only grew a short distance, and this was repeated over and over again, leaving this Cholla looking like root system. When you have several hundred plants, soaking in water for a few hours is not practical. I won't bother with the story how in my failed attempt to get rid of them, I transfered virus to nearly my entire collection.

So, my solution back then was to go to a closed mix, peat and vermiculite (vermiculite is now deadly to orchids since it started coming in from South Africa), and now days, peat and perlite. I just ignore the little buggers when they come in on a new plant now, cause I know they will soon be dead for lack of a habitat.

For situations where you need a large scale treatment for snails and slugs, I have had great success with diatomaceous earth. Some claim that the stuff from a pool supply doesn't work, but it worked great for me, where the stuff from a feed store seemed to silky to be abrasive enough. I have a little hand pump flour sifter I use to spread it around the GH every 2 or 3 months. MUST wear a dust mask, or you could get something similar to silicosis. Once down, it is safe for people and pets. Beer is useful if the bowl is large enough to keep the really big slugs from stretching their way out and just over the lip, where they can then use their shape to escape. Saw one do this, then went to a bigger bowl. It is a slow process cleaning up a greenhouse with bowls of beer all over. The diatomaceous earth wiped them out in 1 day.

[PhalPal]

I was going to recommend the same thing - diatomaceous earth. I have used the pool store variety as well, simply because we have it around anyway, and it worked great. It's the only thing I will put in my backyard because of my dogs and a few neighbor cats and raccoons. It is actually little bitty fossils that act like glass to snails and slugs; no chemicals involved. Cheap too!!

Cynthia - I didn't know that about vermiculite, altho I don't use it currently. Do you think it would be worth it's own warning/posting???

[mbasden]

You may try taking the plant and soaking it in fertilizers. liquid of course, the salts in the fertilizer may kill them.

[palito]

Here's an interesting article about this pest (University of Hawaii)

The orchid snail as a pest of orchids in Hawaii

[cupcake]

I love hostas and grow alot in pots. I've had great success with putting a band of petroleum jelly round the top of the pot.

[dionysus]

get a solution of epsom salts and water. the salts(which aren't harmful, but rather beneficial to plants) will dry up the snails. it may not work with epsom salt, but i figure that it would work just as well with it than sodium, which could damage the roots and potting medium.

if that doesn't work, set out a tub of beer about an inch deep and the slugs/snails will crawl into it and drown.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I am of the understanding that metaldehyde does not kill snails/slugs, but knocks them out to be killed by the sun when it comes up. Hardly very effective when the snails live inside the pot. I tried to kills the snails by soaking the plants in metaldehyde liquid. It didn't work, just spread virus thru the plants.

[Brassavola]

Originally Posted by articuno75

I need to repot an orchid and found these little tiny snails. So tiny that picking would be a pain. Is there a easier method

Sure, there is
I have had a lot of problems with snails and slugs and have found a successful method of eliminating these pests. These tiny snails are probably Zonitoides arboreus, or orchid snails. Are they brownish and a bit bigger than a pin head?
I read this great article that says:

"In preliminary experiments, conducted in a research greenhouse in Hilo, two-striped slugs (Veronicella cubensis) were allowed to bury themselves in soil in pots, then the soil was wetted with a 2% solution of caffeine in water. After 3½ hours only 25% of the slugs remained in the soil, and by 2 days all of the slugs were gone, with 92% dead.

When slugs were fed 2% caffeine-treated cabbage leaves, 39% less was consumed over a 4 day period. And when slugs had a choice of treated or untreated leaves, consumption of the treated leaves was reduced by 77% (1% treatment) or 64% (2% treatment). Total cabbage consumption was reduced by 14 and 28%, respectively, indicating caffeine significantly reduces feeding.
Then greenhouse studies were conducted in Hilo, HA, applying caffeine solution sprays to snail-infested coir (coconut husk-chip medium in which potted orchids are grown). One and 2% solutions killed 60 and 95%, respectively, of the snails in the coir. And the 2% solution was even more effective in reducing the presence of snails than the commercial standard for orchid-snail treatment. After 30 days, caffeine-treated coir had only 5 snails, while coir treated with a standard dose of commercial metaldehyde had 35 snails and the water control 43 snails.

The researchers do not know how caffeine kills slugs and snails. But tests showed topically applied 2% caffeine solutions reduced orchid snail heart contractions, and all died after 4 days. Caffeine's high solubility in water — a key component of molluscs' locomotor mucus — could make slugs and snails more susceptible to contact poisoning from caffeine than other animals such as arthropods."

I have watered my orchids with cups of strong coffee for two or three days, then took a break (if some snails hatched from their eggs), and repeated the procedure after a week or so. After treatment I repotted the plant just in case it didn't like coffee as much as we do

[fred]

Quote] I read this great article that says

It would be very helpful to us if you can please give the originality of the Article.

thanks

[patticake]

Originally Posted by articuno75

Thanks everyone! I'm going to share a bottle of George Killian's Irish Red with them and wait

Heck,Jenny! Drink the Killian's! Buy the cheap crap for the snails!

[HawaiiMiki]

The person who has done the most research on slugs and snails on orchids in Hawaii is Dr. Robert (Robbie) Hollingsworth. He's a plant biologist with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service. Contact him at

rhollingsworth at pbarc dot ars dot usda dot gov.

He's now working on other things but is still probably the most knowledgeable about the control of snail/slugs.

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by patticake

Heck,Jenny! Drink the Killian's! Buy the cheap crap for the snails!

I found that the Brookn's recipe melts the nasty boogers just fine.
I'm greedy and I'm gonna save the beer for myself

[patticake]

You go, Girl!!! Cinnamon rules!!!
As does Killiann's!!!

[Brassavola]

Originally Posted by fred

Quote]
It would be very helpful to us if you can please give the originality of the Article.

Sorry, I couldn't because I haven't posted 5 posts at the time

Here it is:

Caffeine Stops Slugs

[fred]

thank you for supplying the link Brassavola
i think many members may find the article useful

[Brassavola]

Anytime

[HawaiiMiki]

The article relating to caffeine, although posted by someone from the University Of Wisconsin, is actually in reference to the research done by Dr. Rob Hollingsworth of Hawaii. I provided his email address in an earlier post if anyone is interested in contacting him for a copy of his paper or to get additional information. The caffeine used, while essentially the same as the caffeine in your cup of coffee, is much, much, stronger. Levels of caffeine found in a normal cup of coffee do not approach the concentration required to affect snails/slugs. Dr. Hollingsworth has advised me that the most effective product is methaldehyde for control of snails/slugs. Also, snail/slug "baits" do not attract them. They work by accidental contact when the mollusks crawl on them. Finally, although not mentioned in any article, Dr. Hollingsworth has tried all kinds of stuff to control the critters.

[evagentry]

This thread is an interesting read.I read the other day that for a small collection try putting a slice of apple on top of the pot that has snails, they will be attracted to the apple and the next morning will be found on the underside eating. I haven't tried it but it sounds reasonable.

[articuno75]

I want to kill them, not feed 'em.

[Brassavola]

Originally Posted by HawaiiMiki

The article relating to caffeine, although posted by someone from the University Of Wisconsin, is actually in reference to the research done by Dr. Rob Hollingsworth of Hawaii. I provided his email address in an earlier post if anyone is interested in contacting him for a copy of his paper or to get additional information. The caffeine used, while essentially the same as the caffeine in your cup of coffee, is much, much, stronger. Levels of caffeine found in a normal cup of coffee do not approach the concentration required to affect snails/slugs. Dr. Hollingsworth has advised me that the most effective product is methaldehyde for control of snails/slugs. Also, snail/slug "baits" do not attract them. They work by accidental contact when the mollusks crawl on them. Finally, although not mentioned in any article, Dr. Hollingsworth has tried all kinds of stuff to control the critters.

The caffeine concentration in a coffee cup is 5%, and 2% concentration kills snails and slugs. This method was very successful for me and what it most important, it doesn't hurt the plant. In fact, plants seem to like coffee.

[NicC]

Originally Posted by Brassavola

The caffeine concentration in a coffee cup is 5%, and 2% concentration kills snails and slugs. This method was very successful for me and what it most important, it doesn't hurt the plant. In fact, plants seem to like coffee.

I suggest your math may be a bit off. 1% means 1 Gm per 100ml. I understand there is 200mg caffeine in a cup of coffee. Presuming that means a 6 ounce cup that would be 180 ml. so the concentration of caffeine in a cup of coffee is only 200mg per 180ml, much weaker that the article used. I calculated using caffeine tablets (like NoDoz) each of which has 200mg- like a cup of coffee and it would require 50 tablets in 1 liter of water to come up with the 1% solution and twice as much for the 2%. The scientist used pure caffeine and this is available commercially. I will not use the NoDoz since it has some inert ingredients that concern me in this much concentration, notably, polyethylene glycol.
I would welcome anyone to refute these calculations since I have orchid snails on a Vanda I love and have only used Brookes solution to date with questionable results. Would love to use caffeine.
Nick