LSU AgCenter urges public to help control invasive apple snails
By Johnette Magner
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — The LSU AgCenter is calling on residents to help curb the spread of apple snails, an invasive species increasingly found in area lakes and ponds.
Apple snails pose environmental and health risks. The large freshwater snails lay clusters of bright red eggs on trees, walls and other structures near the water. Experts warn that the eggs contain a neurotoxin that can cause illness if touched, making it important to avoid direct contact.
The AgCenter asks the public to take action by scraping the eggs into the water with a stick or other implement, which prevents them from hatching. Officials stress that hands should never be used to handle the eggs.
In addition, LSU scientists caution against consuming apple snails.
“If not thoroughly cooked, the snail can have a parasite that is very dangerous to humans. It gets in your brains and can cause meningitis,” said Blake Wilson, an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter. “Don’t eat any raw snails if you can avoid it, but especially not apple snails.”
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