Alert! Invasive Banded Mystery Snails in Lake St. Peter
- Lake Association
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
Lake St. Peter has invasive Banded Mystery Snails, many of which have come ashore due to the recent hot weather. These snails grow to be 1.5 inches long and have reddish-brown bands along their spirals and a unique “trap door.”
The Property Owners Association will be spearheading a concerted effort to eradicate these snails and will be working with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) Foundation’s Invading Species Awareness Program. Thanks for your support; more to come on this soon.
Please take a look at the fact sheet below for more detail on identifying and dealing with these snails.
Unfortunately, these snails eat fish eggs, out-compete native snails and transmit parasites, like the one that causes swimmer’s itch. Swimmer’s itch has been more frequent in our lake of late. Last summer there were locations that experienced it from June into August, and there are reported cases this year. The parasite is transmitted from some mammals and waterfowl, like ducks and geese, to snails, which then release larvae into the water seeking the same types of waterfowl. However, at this time, these can also burrow into swimmers’ skin where they die but cause an allergic reaction and incredibly itchy skin rash. Larvae tend to survive about 24 hours. However, there may be multiple snails releasing the parasite over time.
Swimmer’s itch
Please go to this link for further information about Swimmers Itch : About Swimmer's Itch | Swimmer's Itch (Cercarial Dermatitis) | CDC
Swimmers itch also called cercarial dermatitis, appears as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain microscopic parasites that infect some birds and mammals. These parasites are released from infected snails into fresh and salt water (such as lakes, ponds, and oceans). While the parasite’s preferred host is the specific bird or mammal, if the parasite comes into contact with a swimmer, it burrows into the skin causing an allergic reaction and rash. Swimmer’s itch is found throughout the world and is more frequent during
Exposure risks
Anyone who swims or wades in infested water may be at risk. Larvae are more likely to be present in shallow water by the shoreline. Children are most often affected because they tend to swim, wade, and play in the shallow water more than adults. Also, they are less likely to towel dry themselves when leaving the water summer months.
How it spreads
The adult parasite lives in the blood of infected animals such as ducks, geese, gulls, swans, and certain mammals such as muskrats and raccoons. The parasites produce eggs that are passed in the feces of infected birds or mammals.
If the eggs land in or are washed into the water, the eggs hatch, releasing small, free-swimming microscopic larvae. These larvae swim in the water in search of a certain species of aquatic snail.
To help us monitor it and to spare others the grief, if you or someone you know gets swimmer’s itch, please let others know where and when by posting it on the Lake St Peter Facebook pages or emailing the Association at lsppoainfo@gmail.com
PREVENT the spread!
It is critically important that we wash every watercraft, no matter how small, as well as trailers, before launching if you have been in another lake, and also to wash them after being in Lake St Peter so we do not transmit this invasive species into other lakes.
What you need to know about Clean, Drain, Dry in Ontario Invading Species Awareness Program
Keep Geese Away
Restore shorelines with natural vegetation to discourage geese from settling on your property and the Lake.
Naturalized shorelines are also good at keeping away the one wildlife species you may not want visiting your property: Canada Goose. By creating a native plant buffer in and along the shoreline and transforming part or all of a manicured lawn area to a more natural state with a “no-mow” zone, you will prevent Canada Goose from coming up on your property as they prefer open visibility and easy access to water to escape predators.
Create a native plant buffer in and along the shoreline. Geese prefer open visibility and easy access to water to escape predators.
Transform part or all of a manicured lawn area to a more natural state with a “no-mow” zone.
Consider naturalizing your shoreline to benefit both nature and water quality.
Contact: lsppoainfo@gmail.com
Comments