Hello agian, this is Mr A!

The Golden Apple Snail, widely known as the Jumbo Snail, was introduced from South America to Asia with the original purpose of being a source of sustenance.

However, its uncontrolled proliferation caused it to turn into a menace .

The Jumbo snail poses a significant risk to young rice plants in the first few weeks following their planting.

They have the potential to annihilate a whole square meter of crops in just one night leading to crop losses of up to 50%.

As you can see in the photo, the golden apple snail has devastated a large part of a field of Happy Rice.

Unfortunately, there are limited natural means of controlling the Golden Apple Snail.

Farmers who avoid pesticides have two options for controlling the snails: manual collection or the use of snail traps. This is a very time-consuming task.

I was asked to collect snails by hand in the summer, soon after the rice harvest.

The task was arduous, taking over a week to collect the snails, while at the same time manually replanting seedlings in areas devastated by the pest.

The majority of the fields were either undamaged or Minimally affected, but a handful of fields suffered extensive damage, which I estimate to be up to 30%.

Here I am, back in July, collecting snails by hand.

However, my main tool for collecting snails is this plastic flower pot attached to a long (2 meter) stick.

I have become very adept at scooping up snails.

The scoop is particularly useful in areas where there are few snails. When the snail population is high, hand picking is more efficient.

Visit http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/growth/pests-and-diseases/golden-apple-snails for more information.

The Jumbo Snail Menace.