Divisi
Golden apple snail
Pomacea canaliculata · Mollusk
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0
The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) is a large, round, golden-brown water snail and one of the most destructive pests of paddy rice. It feeds at night, rasping young rice seedlings off at the base and pulling them under the water, and breeds explosively in warm standing water — laying unmistakable bright pink egg masses just above the waterline. Because it can survive the dry season buried in the mud, once it is in a paddy it comes back year after year, which is why keeping the water shallow and catching it early matter so much.
H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 
FlyingBatt · CC BY-SA 4.0
Why it matters
The golden apple snail eats your rice while you sleep, cutting the young seedlings off at the base and leaving bare gaps in the paddy. In a newly planted field a bad attack can take up to half your crop (50%). It is hard to be rid of because it breeds fast in warm standing water and survives the dry season buried in the mud, so it returns season after season — which is why keeping the water shallow and catching it early, in the first weeks after planting, is everything.
When to act
in transplanted rice, about 1 or more snails per square metre, or the first missing hills in newly established paddies
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
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The full golden apple snail field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
13 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to golden apple snail — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify golden apple snail?
The damage: in a newly planted paddy you find young rice cut off at the base and floating, with bare gaps and missing hills (the planted clumps of seedlings), so the stand looks patchy and thin. The snails feed at night, so the cut seedlings appear overnight.
When should I take action against golden apple snail?
in transplanted rice, about 1 or more snails per square metre, or the first missing hills in newly established paddies
How do I control golden apple snail?
Prevent it — take away their deep water: for the first 2 to 3 weeks after planting, drain the paddy and keep the water below 2 cm (about a finger deep). Snails need deeper water to swim and feed; in a shallow film they are stranded and can barely move to reach your seedlings. This is your single strongest tool — here, keeping the water low beats any spray.
Which crops does golden apple snail affect?
Among the crops covered here: Rice.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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