Tennessee Company Adds a "Green" Solution to the Fight to Rid South Florida of Giant Snail Problem

Eighteen months after a Miami-Dade County outbreak, the giant pest is spreading rapidly; one giant snail can produce 100 eggs per month, live more than eight years and grow to more than six inches in shell size. The snails can carry disease and are a danger to crops, as they consume at least 500 different kinds of plants. They even threaten structures while munching on stucco and concrete in their search for dietary calcium.

Snails, including the giant African land snail, love Niban, manufactured by Rockford, Tennessee-based Nisus Corporation. Niban features a borate mineral salt as its active ingredient combined with an irresistible bait made from corn cob granules mixed with oils, sugars and other food grade attractants. Once the snails consume the bait, the borate acts by interfering with their metabolic ability to break down sugars to extract energy from their food; as a result, their cells “starve” and they die.

Baits are popular with the professional Pest Control industry because they can be formulated to be attractive only to the target pest, avoiding harm to beneficial insects such as honeybees. Furthermore, a borate-based bait is especially “green” as the mechanism that affects the target pests doesn’t act the same way on people, pets and wildlife. As an added plus, pests cannot develop a resistance to borates because of their unique action.

Niban is a weatherized bait that remains effective in heat, sunlight and four inches of rain, so it keeps working even in Florida’s climate. When FDACS’ applicators that are trained in controlling the giant African Land Snail use Niban, they apply it at an “application rate of 3.2 ounces (2/3 cup) to 6 ounces of granules per 100 square feet. The bait can be reapplied every four to six weeks, as needed.”

Nisus Corporation was founded in 1990 in Knoxville, TN and is the originator of Green Pest Management^®. Nisus manufactures and distributes green products for professional pest management, wood preservation, mold control, disinfecting & sanitizing, odor control, plumbing maintenance and pool and spa management. For more information, visit http://www.nisuscorp.com.