Attractiveness and toxic effect of testing bait treatments against the most common terrestrial snails in Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract EN

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to study the attractiveness and/or toxic effect of four testing bait preparations against Eobania vermiculata, Theba pisana and Helicella vestalis the most common terrestrial snail species.

The testing baits were formulated by using preferable substances for the snails such as lettuce, cabbage and molasses.

In addition, a trail was conducted to use crushed T.

pisana snails as an attractive material.

All the aforementioned materials were mixed with wheat bran and methomyl (Lannate) 1.5% w/w.

Laboratory results, illustrate that, there were significant differences between treatments, whereas E.

vermiculata snails exhibited the highest percentage of attraction (90%) to the testing baits based on molasses and cabbage, either prepared in fresh or stored at room temperature for 10 days.

T.

pisana snails exhibited the highest percentage of attraction (80%) for bait based on crushed T.

pisana snails, while H.

vestalis snails exhibited the lowest percentage values among all the testing bait preparations.

Percent mortalities of the treated snail species show the same trend as result of percent attraction.

Field results illustrate that, there were significant differences between different treatments.

Whereas, the highest percent decrease rate of T.

pisana snail number (85.20) was observed.

Results also, indicate that, there were significant differences in the percent decrease of the mean number of H.

vestalis snails.

The highest mean values recorded were(8.31 and 7.69 snails/cotton plant in the case of testing bait based on molasses and cabbage, respectively.

Baits based on cabbage, lettuce and molasses revealed, significant decreases in the percent of the mean numbers of H.

vestalis snails, whereas 29.499%, 27.310% and 23.52 % of decreasing rates were exhibited, respectively.