Investment

Mediterranean white and conical snails are important introduced pests of a range of crops and vines. They can clog farm machinery, contaminate harvests, feed on seedlings and pasture and can be hosts for human diseases. One way of managing these pests is using molluscicides, whilst effective they are also expensive so potential biocontrol agents in the native range of the snails (western Mediterranean) have been identified. This investment will investigate the delivery and release of a new strain of the conical snail parasite biological control agent Sarcophaga villeneuveana to the Australian grains industry. It is hoped that this strain will be better adapted to Australian conical snail genotypes than the current strain S. penicillata released in the early 2000s and demonstrate significantly greater parasitism levels against Australian conical snails.