Efforts continue to control spread of the Giant African snail in Dominica

The Ministry of the Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food Security continues its efforts to control the spread of the Giant African snail in Dominica.

The large snail which was first discovered in 2007 in the northern community of Dos D’Âne, is considered one of the most invasive destructive species and with large populations, can affect up to 500 different plant types.

At present the snails have been spotted in the community of Bellevue Rawle and Dos D’Ane, Blenheim, Paix bouche in the north.

“The surveillance entails going out on the field and physically looking for the pest, in this case the Giant African snail,” Agricultural Officer in the Plant Protection and Quarantine Services Department responsible for surveillance and pest management, Kelly Maronie said. “What we do, we do surveillance both daytime and night time.”

He said in the surveys, quarantine officers go out on the field and look for the snail in its habitat which is under debris and in composting areas, and since the snails are more active at night, it is easier to see them.

The campaign to control the Giant African snail is being carried out by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Services Department and entails the holding of a slug baiting exercise throughout the month of April in various parts of the country.

When it is completed, the slug baiting exercise will have been undertaken in communities such as Stockfarm, Bellevue Rawle, Paix Bouche, Dos D’Ane and Blenheim.

Residents of the affected areas have been advised to listen for announcements on the dates and time that the Plant Protection and Quarantine Services Department will be conducting the baiting exercise to control the spread of the invasive snail.

“When we put out the announcement on the radio or whatever medium, the day we are coming to please keep the windows and doors closed, don’t stay outside looking at the officer or the officers while they are doing their work, spreading the bait because it can be harmful to humans,” Maronie warns.

He also advises residents to keep their domestic animals and pets away from the baited areas during the baiting process and two weeks after the activity.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available