Increasing proportions of snails ‘shut down’ their breeding activities between August to October depending on the finish to the season.A wet start can lead to earlier snail reproduction (Figure 1). The onset of reproduction can vary greatly from year to year and is largely dependent on rainfall.For common white snails in SA and WA, reproduction generally occurred from April to mid-spring.Since 2017, a GRDC investment led by SARDI has investigated the seasonal activity patterns of snails in different conditions across eight sites in South Australia and Western Australia to gather information on the optimal time to bait for snails. “Snails are most efficiently killed by baiting in autumn.” “The aim of baiting is to control snail populations by knocking out mature snails before significant reproduction has occurred,” she says. The latest research reinforces the message that the optimal time to target snails with bait is in autumn before reproduction, according to South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI*) entomologist Helen Brodie, who has been studying effective methods of snail control. Introduced round and conical snails cause significant economic losses to Australian growers and require an effective management response, which includes baiting. Baits will be less effective if exposed to significant heat or high rainfall.Timing bait application when snails become active in early autumn but before they begin egg laying is essential. Autumn is most effective time of year to bait snails.Research, Development and Extension Data.Business development and commercialisation
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