Snulex: A Semiochemical Lure and Phagostimulant Enhanced Bait for Controlling Snails and Slugs

The goal of this USDA SBIR Phase II project is to develop SnuLex a semiochemical lure and phagostimulant enhanced rain-resistant pellet bait for effective snail and slug control. Snails and slugs pose a significant threat to agriculture and allied industries with their impact intensifying due to the shift towards reduced till farming. Snail and slug management predominantly depends on baits which comprise 90% of the $23.1 million US molluscicide market. However the effectiveness of existing baits are limited by 1) lack of bait attractants necessitating high density bait application (lb/acre) to increase the chances of pests randomly encountering it and 2) low palatability allowing pest to recover from ingesting sub-lethal doses of bait. In Phase I we developed a prototype SnuLex bait with a unique attractant and phagostimulant blend that ensures the rapid discovery and ingestion of a lethal dose of the bait by snails and slugs. Prototype SnuLex has outcompeted existing baits and demonstrated over 90% snail and slug mortality within 2 weeks in lab and field tests. Our Phase II objectives are 1) perform ingredient substitution to improve cost-effectiveness and ensure EPA compliance 2) perform bait enrichment to enhance shelf and field stability 3) test field efficacy at three geographic locations and 4) test non-target impacts. The Phase II research aims to refine the prototype SnuLex into a commercial snail and slug bait that can markedly minimize a major crop pest in the U.S. and will be more effective economical rain -resistant and environmentally friendly than existing baits.