If You Spot These Little Pink Eggs In The Garden, Take Action Immediately — Here's Why

No gardener loves a snail, but these slimy creatures do serve an important purpose in the ecosystem as recyclers of waste and food for other critters. But a particular invasive species is causing serious damage across the United States. The channeled applesnail (Pomacea canaliculata) was likely first introduced to Hawaii as a food import, and may have spread across the continental U.S. through the aquarium pet trade. This slow-moving scourge gobbles up aquatic plants at an alarming rate wherever it is found. Populations of this snail are now found in Hawaii, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Florida, and are suspected in many other states. You can help stop its spread by being on the lookout for its telltale pink egg clusters. 

The channeled applesnail, named for the uniquely deep channel formed in whorls at the tip of its shell, is a relatively large snail that can grow up to six inches long. It would be hard to miss in your backyard, except it prefers to hang out underwater during the day, emerging at night to feed. As a freshwater snail native to the wet tropics of the Amazon, you won't be seeing this pest in your arid rock garden. But if you live near a body of water or have your own pond or rain garden, you can be on the lookout for its cone-shaped masses of pink egg clusters. The snail lays its colorful, pearl-like eggs above water on dry vegetation, in sticky masses of up to 600 tiny pink balls. There are many potential impacts from this species but there are measures you can take.

The channeled applesnail has a voracious appetite for aquatic plants and can devastate water-grown crops like rice and taro. In ponds and other water bodies, this snail can negatively affect water quality and outcompete native aquatic wildlife. Even worse, they are a public health hazard and are known for carrying "rat lung disease." This can cause fatal meningitis in people if the snails are eaten. 

Like other common garden pests, there are specific methods you will need to employ to eliminate the channeled applesnail. You should remove any egg masses and destroy them by crushing and throwing them away. Wear gloves, because the eggs can cause irritation. If you can't easily reach the egg mass, you can use a stick to crush and scrape them into the water, or use a high-powered water spray to knock them into the water, which will drown the eggs. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife asks anyone who finds a suspected channeled applesnail to freeze it, report it via its portal, and then send it in to the department for proper identification. If you live outside of California, contact the invasive species department in your state, which is usually housed within the fish and game or agriculture department.