Decollate Snail

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The snail kills slugs, common brown snails and garden snails. It's known as the decollate snail because it decollates (breaks off) the top 3 segments or so of the shell to increase mobility and reduce shell weight.

The decollate snail was both accidentally and intentionally brought into the United States.

It has been on the Atlantic coast for over 165 years and in the Gulf States for over 85 years.

It's now also established in the southern areas of the country, southern California, Arizona and Texas.

The decollate snail lives about 2 years.

It's a mollusk in the family Subulinidae.

It has a black body, an olive-gray foot, and a brown, spiral shell with 4 to 6 whorls, tapering to a blunt end. Some have a purple cast at the mouth of the shell.

Life Cycle

The snail can both self-fertilize and cross-fertilize. At the age of approximately one year, it begins to lay eggs.

When the snail is ready to lay eggs, it finds a slight hole in the soil and deposits eggs individually but in a cluster. Over a period of a week, up to 50 eggs are laid. They hatch in 10 to 40 days.

Decollate snails can go dormant for several months during unfavorable conditions like drought. They usually will burrow into the ground during winters in places where the ground does not freeze for long periods of time.

The snails hunt for food at night or after rainfall. Their main food food is small snails that can't withdraw as far into their shells for safety. If their preferred food is not available, they eat small plants.

Decollate Snails as Predators

Commercial snails may be inactive when they arrive, but can be revived with cold water on them for several minutes.

It usually takes about two years to get rid of slug populations with the snails. They don't wander far from where they're placed, which means that you can focus on a specific area of the garden that may be having slug or snail problems.

A supplemental feeding of pelletized alfalfa or compost will help to keep them around.

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