Enemy of the vegetable garden, but more useful than you might think: expert on the wonderful world of snails

352 · 5 min read · 31 May 2024 · 9 · 4 · 4

A mild spring and well wet, that's when the snail slimes best. You can tell it from the crack under the sole, garden centers see it selling snail pellets, and Professor Thierry Backeljau notices it on his phone.

Not a day goes by without a journalist begging him for tips and tricks to combat those slippery animals.

Nudibranchs, in particular, are seen as the culprits. But in fact, all snails are made to eat.

“They all have in their mouths a kind of rasp, a radula. It's a membrane full of tiny teeth that is connected to muscles that the bugs use to scrape away leafy green,” says Backeljau.

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4 comments

Madeleine

1 year ago

ik laat ze altijd lopen en ik had gelezen dat als je hostaplanten hebt, dat je dan kapotte eierschaalstukjes om de plant moet strooien, want dat weert de slak.