Investment

Invasive conical snails are major pests of grain crops and pastures in South Australia and a spreading problem of national significance. These snails reach extreme densities in crops, leading to contamination of harvested grain and risks to the quality reputation and market access of SA grain. The proposed solution is a pest-suppressive landscape that will enhance biological control of conical snails by a parasitoid fly. Two species of pest conical snails in SA's southern Yorke Peninsula (YP) region are parasitised by an introduced biocontrol agent, a parasitoid fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, which kills the attacked snails.

Previous research has shown that levels of snail parasitism are associated with flowering native vegetation: the fly is absent or nearly absent in areas without native vegetation but can parasitise up to 50 % of larger conical snails where flowers provide the flies with essential food resources. The proposed work will quantitatively evaluate and demonstrate how targeted revegetation can be used to suppress conical snails by promoting biocontrol. A Before-After-Control-Impact study will be established to achieve this.