Thousands of African snails with a height of 10-20 cm were collected in Coral Gables, a small city in Miami-Dade area, since the population of pest was first detected in September, the U.S. Agriculture Ministry said.
Local officials still do not know how or when the exotic snail can get to south Florida, but they will soon take action immediately by using a special kind of pesticide for molluscs (molluscicide iron phosphate) to inhibit the proliferation of the double androgynous creature.
The giant snail is not the only trigger concerns of citizens. Besides leaving a slimy trail and attack the plant cucumbers, bananas, and pumpkins, they also threaten the health because it brings a dangerous form of the nematode parasite commonly located in rat pulmonary artery (Angiostrongylus cantonensis).
If humans consume contaminated food or parasite that had direct contact with the snail - a few such cases have been documented around the world - then the parasite can enter the central nervous system causing nausea, headaches and trigger nerve damage.
Snails were left when the stench of death and they are also considered responsible for damage to the white-painted houses and several cases of traffic accidents.
The results of the environmental review conducted by the U.S. Kemtan shows that there is only
two options to allow or eliminate these pests with pesticides. Currently the government is still open space for public opinion before a final decision set.
The proposed type of pesticide called Sluggo.-AG, which will be affixed to the grain to lure slugs and snails and then poison them with a substance containing one percent iron phosphate.
"After eating the bait, snails will stop eating because it would interfere with iron phosphate metabolism of calcium in their digestive tract. Snails will die within three to six days later," the report said.
"The collection of snails will also be conducted as part of a pest eradication program. The collection is extensive and effective routine to reduce snail populations along with other pest population control methods," he said.
Big brown colored creatures that are often found in residential areas, areas affected by pests but also includes two national parks Everglades and the Biscayne National Park.
"Iron phosphate practically non-toxic and dangerous to humans," the report said. While the cumulative risk to the environment and other animals is low and the compound was not soluble in water, so it will not contaminate ground water.
Poisoned bait will be spread with a kind of machine spreader, which is similar to the engine grass seed or fertilizer spreader, with a radius of 200 meters of any place of the appearance of the giant snail.
Eradication program, if approved, will last for two to four years. The emergence of the giant African snail in south Florida last occurred in 1966, when a child to smuggle the animals of Hawaii and her grandmother was freed snails in their gardens.
Then the animals began to breed pests and it took nearly a decade and one million dollars to destroy everything. "Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails are found. Eradication program took nearly 10 years with a total cost of $ 1 million. Alleviation program was declared in 1975," U.S. Agriculture Ministry said.
0 komentar:
Post a Comment