Nghe An: Tons of golden apple snails that damage spring rice caught

Lang Khe is one of the communes in the district that has been severely damaged by golden apple snails. The whole commune has 115.4 hectares of spring rice, at this time, more than 40 hectares of rice have been "attacked" by golden apple snails, of which the most damage is in Chom Lom, Yen Hoa and Bong villages; the average density is 5 - 6 snails/m²; 2 - 3 egg nests/m^2,Many fields have even denser snail densities.

On the morning of February 28, people in villages of Lang Khe commune, after deploying to fight the epidemic, caught and processed nearly 1 ton of golden apple snails.

Currently, the entire Con Cuong district has about 100 hectares of spring rice damaged by golden apple snails. Photo: Minh Hanh

Mr. Ngan Dinh Phong - Vice Chairman of Lang Khe Commune People's Committee said that this is the time when golden apple snails lay eggs, so to control this harmful organism from arising in the following seasons, the locality is mobilizing all people to go to the fields to catch golden apple snails.

Accordingly, people in 6/7 villages simultaneously went to the fields. The golden apple snails caught were processed by putting them in boiling water, then digging holes and burying them with lime powder.

This spring crop, the whole Con Cuong district planted more than 2,271 hectares of spring rice, of which nearly 100 hectares of rice were damaged by golden apple snails concentrated in the communes of Mau Duc, Mon Son, Lang Khe; the density in some places was from 3-5 snails/m2.².

People in Lang Khe commune (Con Cuong) use boiling water with salt to treat golden apple snails. Photo: Minh Hanh

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan - Head of the Con Cuong District Plant Cultivation and Plant Protection Station said: In the face of the golden apple snail problem that is damaging rice, the Station has sent staff directly to the localities to guide people in fighting the epidemic. To destroy golden apple snails, people can use manual methods such as catching them by hand, digging trenches on both sides to dry the water; leaving cassava and potato scum to lure snails to one place to catch them; planting stakes for golden apple snails to lay eggs and then catch them.

In heavily infected areas, special chemical spraying methods can be used for prevention. Farmers should actively visit the fields to detect and prevent other pests and diseases to ensure good growth and development of spring rice.

Many people in Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong) have simultaneously taken action to catch golden apple snails that harm rice. Photo: TS

According to preliminary statistics from the Tam Dinh commune government (Tuong Duong), up to now, the golden snail has damaged nearly 2 hectares of rice of people in Quang Thinh, Quang Yen and some other villages.

Immediately after the above situation occurred, from February 26 to 28, Tam Dinh commune organized a campaign to catch golden apple snails to protect rice for the people in the commune. In the past few days, the whole commune has caught nearly 300 kg of golden apple snails.

Many people bring a scoop (a tool used to scoop fish) to catch golden apple snails. Photo: TS

In Tam Quang commune, more than 1,000 people participated and caught more than 70kg of golden apple snails in some villages such as Tam Bong, Bai Xa...

In Thanh Chuong, along with the cold weather, farmers in the district are facing the problem of golden apple snails damaging rice. According to the authorities, all rice fields are currently damaged by apple snails with an area of ​​about 500 hectares, especially in low-lying areas with water in the fields all year round or in places where there have been outbreaks such as Thanh Dong, Xuan Tuong, Thanh Linh.

People in Thanh Dong commune (Thanh Chuong) collect golden apple snails to prepare for processing. Photo: Dinh Ha

Faced with this situation, the district has directed the Plant Protection Station and communes to guide people in implementing preventive measures. These days, people are always looking to catch snails in all the fields, especially at night.

According to the people, killing golden apple snails manually is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Catching them at night is most effective because the snails often come up from the mud to eat at night.

Golden apple snails after being caught can be used as animal feed or destroyed by burying with lime, chemicals or smashing./.