kanin
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 263
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Post by kanin on Jul 23, 2009 15:15:17 GMT
This morning when i where walking home from my night shift I passed through the cemetary. It's been raining all night and I thought it would be interesting to look at the many species of snails that dwell there.
I was surprised to spot mutiple helix aspersa however. According to the info I was given when checking this species before getting some for myself I learned that they are not native to sweden and can't be found here. In that case it should be considered an invasive species right? I am unsure what to do as I believe I should report this. Which I'm unsure of that I want as the snails most probably would be killed and possible many snails of other species as the chances are that they'll use pesticides. On the other hand do I know what consequences an invasive species can have on the environment. And on the other hand even though I report this and theese gets killed we'll most likely have helix aspersa in sweden sooner or later anyway.
I'm basically just looking for moral guidance(is this the right word?) so if anyone have any advice on this matter I would apreciate it.
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Jul 23, 2009 21:14:32 GMT
H. aspersa would indeed be a non-native species in Sweden. How invasive they would be, I don't know, but they are definitely non-native.
You are correct to consider the possible agricultural impact these snails might have. Non-native species have the potential to cause enormous damage to crops and financial loss to farmers and growers.
However, I'd be very surprised if a population could be established in Sweden, because I don't know how aspersas could survive the winters there. I would imagine they would die off during the cold weather. Aspersas are native to the Mediterranean, where they do not have to cope with winter freezes.
Were the snails you saw adults or juveniles (or perhaps a mix of both)?
Perhaps you could try to find a biologist to talk to about this, before going straight to any government authorities. If the aspersas pose a genuine problem, the biologist would know how to judge that and then give the proper authorities his/her professional assessment about the risk.
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kanin
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 263
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Post by kanin on Jul 24, 2009 4:39:18 GMT
Thank you coyote, the aspersas where mostly adults some where actually mating when i saw them. the weather however are not as cold as one might think, it does not differ much from england or northern germany for example so i think they'd be able to survive. I'll see if I can find anyone at the university who can give me any advice in this question.
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Jul 25, 2009 7:19:31 GMT
If the winters are mild enough for a population to establish itself, then the potential for agricultural destruction is greater. Good luck with finding an expert to discuss this with, and please let us know what you find out.
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