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Pond snail pest ... what is it?

DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
in Wildlife gardening
Last year we had a thriving population of pond snails in our small wildlife pond. This spring we found a lot of empty shells and the number of live snails has fallen rapidly.  

The other day my OH saw one of the snails which seemed to contain two small cream- coloured parasitic ‘worms’ ... googling reveals nothing helpful so far ... any ideas anyone?

Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Strange. Have you put any other plants in this year that could have brought something in?
    I have ramshorn snails which seem to multiply quite readily, but I haven't noticed any problems with them.My pond is so tiny that I see them quite often, and the only ones which die off are the ones who get caught on a shallow bit - and I assume the birds get them.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Nope, nothing new ... no change ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Is it worth trying one of those pond/fish forums? I expect someone there will have specialist knowledge. Or even a seller?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Thought I’d try here first ... but that’s a good idea ... or even the local wildlife sites perhaps ... 🤔

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yeh - wildlife ones might be good.Hadn't though of that.
    What a shame though.  :/
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I think we’ve got an ID @Fairygirl

    http://parasitophilia.blogspot.com/2013/01/leucochloridium-paradoxum.html?m=1

    At least it’s an ID of what OH saw ...(he said he’d seen something somewhere about something like it ... possibly on QI)

    Doesn't look as if it’s responsible for the drop in pond snail numbers tho’ ... I’m beginning to wonder whether that might have been due to the high temperatures last summer ... the pond’s  quite shallow and we did keep adding water to top it up and tried to keep it from warming up but ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I hope you can get them to recover Dove - I just read the link you posted above - it reads like something out of a horror movie.  :#

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    All part of Nature’s rich world @Pete.8 ... but I can’t help feeling just a teeny bit 🤢 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    what an amazing life story :)


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Just making sure OH washes his hands after thinning out the pond weed @nutcutlet   :o 🤢 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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