Brown Garden Snail

Pest Description

• ~1 1/3 inches long; whorled brown shell with orangish, tan and black markings
• immatures are smaller versions of the adults
• eggs are round, pearly white and laid in the soil

Host Plants, Diet & Damage

• many; boxwood, rose, hibiscus, and peach commonly damaged
  primarily chew on the foliage of host plants
• may cause minor damage to twigs and branches

Biology, Life Cycle & Damaging Life Stage

• overwinter within shell around plantings
• become active in the spring, mate and lay eggs
• snails take 2 to 3 years to reach maturity
• mostly active at night
• immatures and adults are damaging

IPM Recommendations

• Control is difficult; manage numbers below threshold.
• Minimize soil moisture; increase time between watering.
• Choose resistant plants.
• Eliminate habitat that promotes protection and moisture.
• Handpick snails from vegetation.
• Use barriers such as copper strips.
• Use baited and unbaited traps to catch and remove or kill snails.
• Apply snail baits (iron phosphate; metaldehyde; sodium ferric EDTA; sulfur).

For more information, see our Controlling Slugs and Snails in Utah fact sheet.