Invasive snails affecting crawfish and rice crops in Louisiana

The apple snail first made its way from South America in 2006. The small invasive snails have spread to approximately 30 parishes in Louisiana and are impacting both crawfish and rice crops, according to research by the Louisiana State University Ag Center.

These creatures are not picky eaters and are considered major pests in Asia, Spain, the Philippines and other areas around the globe where they devour seedling rice. They also bore into levees around the rice fields.

The past couple of years, crawfish farmers have reported an increase of the snails in their traps as they feed on the bait used. Several parishes have noted significant increases in the past two seasons, to the point that fields had to be drained early to mitigate the snails and salvage some of the crop.

The LSU Ag Center is conducting research on the snails and are hopeful they can mitigate its spread. The snails’ egg masses often travel from place to place via natural water flow which is often used by farmers.

The snails are edible but can carry several forms of disease and should be thoroughly cooked and cleaned if ingested.

For more information visit the LSU Ag Center website.