Pest Research

[Paul]

Hi everyone.

I created this because I think this area is much neglected for a number of reasons. Mainly because experimentation is a tricky area.

We need to:

Identify the pests properly
Morgan should be able to help with that through her entomologist friend. We need to know what they are, how they breed and everything else. And we need a way to get this info to people in a form that helps them to ID their pests. Perhaps a small close-up video of the things.

Find a way to beat them
Snails are so sensitive to chemicals that finding a commercial treatment is highly unlikely. We need to find something that kills them and not the snails, without having to do experiments which could harm them. I mean, there are a number of harmless substances. Perhaps one of these could kill mites. I found that 50% water, 50% vinegar kills the mites but would it harm the snails. People have mentioned using vinegar as a "safe" cleaning agent for the tank.

Someone out there knows this or knows a little. We can piece this together. And I think it will be beneficial to more people than a lot of other info.

Thoughts, ideas and muses wanted as usual.

paul

[bookitten]

This is really a very good idea but what about celotape? If we got a strip of celotape and there were loads of mites on the snails shell we could put the tape on the snails shell then take it of, repeating this until all the mites have gone. But of course, that would be on only one snail. But we could somehow extend this idea?

sophie

[Paul]

Hi,

That probably works the same as washing them, I think the real problem is getting the ones we can't see, like the ones in the breathing hole etc.

paul

[bookitten]

Oh yeah good point. It is rather tricky.

sophie

[Paul]

See:

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=pests&action=display&n=1&thread=4355

for info on overall snail illness research and to continue posting, I've locked this thread now.

paul