Golden apple snails appear densely, Ha Tinh farmers "spin" all ways to save rice

(Baohatinh.vn) - In recent days, golden apple snails have been multiplying rapidly, attacking many summer-autumn rice fields in Ha Tinh. Farmers are trying every way to kill the snails, ensuring the growth of rice plants.

In Can Loc district, according to information from local people, golden apple snails appeared at high density in Thuong Loc, Xuan Loc, Khanh Vinh Yen communes, and Dong Loc town. The snails concentrated heavily on damaging many areas of newly sown rice at the tillering stage.

Farmers in Can Loc district catch golden apple snails that damage summer-autumn rice.

Mr. Phan Xuan Hanh (Lien Tan village, Thuong Loc commune, Can Loc) said: “This year, golden apple snails appeared many times more than last year. Local authorities have broadcasted on loudspeakers and organized snail catching campaigns in the fields. However, overnight, if there is rain or cool weather, the snails crawl out in large numbers again.”

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Loc district, the common density of golden apple snails is from 5 - 7 snails/m², in high places it can be from 10 - 20 snails/m². In particular, low-lying areas and low-lying fields are where snails reproduce strongly, causing serious damage to young rice fields.

Many rice fields in low-lying areas are severely damaged by golden apple snails.

Mr. Nguyen Van Minh (Trung Dong village, Nam Phuc Thang commune, Cam Xuyen) shared: “In the summer-autumn crop, I sowed 10 sao of rice but snails bit and destroyed a lot of it, more than half of the area had to be re-sown. At first, my family mobilized people to catch them manually but they were too many, so we had to spray chemicals to kill the snails.”

Many people in Cam Xuyen district said that in the summer-autumn crop, golden apple snails have the characteristics of causing serious damage to rice, especially in the young seedling stage. They eat the roots, stems and leaves of rice, causing rice fields to have missing clumps and even have to be replanted. Golden apple snails are active in the early morning, late evening and at night.

Tons of golden apple snails are gathered at purchasing facilities every day.

Although many measures have been applied such as catching snails every day, spreading neem leaves and papaya leaves in low-lying areas with stagnant water to attract snails and then catch and destroy them, the effectiveness is not high because snails reproduce and move quickly, especially at night.

Unlike previous years, according to farmers, the density of golden apple snails this year has increased dramatically, causing many rice fields to be severely affected if not handled promptly.

Golden apple snails mainly break young rice in the early morning.

The abundance of golden apple snails has made the purchasing points along Provincial Road 548 (from Tung Loc Commune, Can Loc to Ich Hau Commune, Thach Ha) more active than in previous years, with about 3-4 large purchasing points.

In particular, Mr. Hoang Luan's purchasing facility (Thong Nhat village, Ich Hau commune) recorded the highest output, ranging from 10 - 20 tons/day. Mr. Hoang Luan said: "I have been purchasing golden apple snails to supply to shrimp and seafood feed processing centers in the South for 5 years now, but I have never seen such a large quantity as now. Before, it was only 3 - 4 tons per day, now the lowest is 5 tons, the peak is up to 20 tons. Because there are many snails, the price has dropped from 3,500 VND/kg to only 2,500 VND/kg. We are still actively purchasing large quantities for people to limit the damage of snails to summer-autumn rice."

Snail purchasing facilities in Can Loc and Thach Ha districts are bustling with activity.

According to the Ha Tinh Department of Crop Production and Livestock, rainy weather, high humidity, and temperatures ranging from 20 - 30°C are ideal conditions for golden apple snails to thrive.

Currently, golden apple snails are causing damage at high density in Kim Song Truong, Thuan Thien (Can Loc); Thach Long, Hong Loc (Thach Ha); Yen Hoa, Nam Phuc Thang (Cam Xuyen), ..., the infected area is about 120 hectares. According to the forecast of Ha Tinh Hydrometeorological Station, the weather from now until the end of June 2025 will maintain hot and sunny weather, with intermittent showers, and an average temperature of 28 - 35 ⁰ C, creating favorable conditions for golden apple snails to cause damage.

Farmers should regularly go to the fields to catch adult snails, young snails and egg nests in the early morning or cool afternoon.

Experts recommend that people should proactively implement manual, biological and synchronous farming measures, and limit the abuse of chemicals. People need to regularly go to the fields to catch adult snails, young snails and egg nests. The best time to catch them is early in the morning or in the cool afternoon, when the snails are most active. You can use bait such as sweet potato vines or papaya leaves placed in low-lying areas, combined with making drainage ditches to attract snails, then collect and destroy them.

For fields with high snail density, threatening rice growth, farmers can combine chemical treatment, choosing drugs containing active ingredients such as Metaldehyde, Niclosamide...

Recommended concentration and dosage for spraying snail killer for 1 sao (500m ² ) are as follows: StarPumper 800WP, mix 17g of medicine in 20 liters of water, spray for 1 sao (500m ^{2 )} ; Anheand 12GR medicine, use 250g of medicine, spread evenly over the field (500m ² ); Boxer 15GR medicine, use 250g of medicine, spread evenly over the field (500m ² );...

Time to treat: spread the medicine evenly (Anheand 12GR, Boxer 15GR) or spray the medicine (StarPumper 800WP) when snails appear, maintain the water level of 3 - 5cm on the field surface for the medicine to be most effective.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/oc-buou-vang-xuat-hien-day-dac-nong-dan-ha-tinh-xoay-du-cach-cuu-lua-post290080.html