The problems involving the African snail mainly refer to environmental damage and nuisance caused by the destruction of gardens, vegetable gardens and small crops by these molluscs.
They can also transmit worms to humans, such as eosinophilic meningitis and abdominal angiostrongylosis, through ingestion of the larvae of these worms that emerge from the mucus of the African snail and can contaminate food and objects.
Therefore, it is best to protect your hands when handling them, thus reducing the likelihood of infection.
Care when collecting and disposing of animals:
In many Brazilian cities, shortly after the rains, the African snail invades backyards and vacant lots. Experts recommend some precautions for control:
- To carry out grooming, hands must be protected with gloves or plastic bags to avoid contact with the animal
- The collected snails must be crushed, covered with quicklime and buried
- Also collect the eggs, which are half-buried and proceed in the same way as for the collected animals
- The collected snails and eggs can also be killed with a chlorine solution, three equal parts of water to one of chlorine, but they must be left completely covered by this solution for 24 hours, before being discarded
- Throwing boiling water and incinerating are also options, but these procedures must be carried out safely
- The bagged material can also be disposed of in common trash, but the shells must be broken so that they do not accumulate water, becoming possible breeding grounds for mosquitoes
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