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Molluscicides (/məˈlʌskɪˌsaɪds, -ˈlʌs-/)[1][2] – also known as snail baits, snail pellets, or slug pellets – are pesticides against molluscs, which are usually used in agriculture or gardening, in order to control gastropod pests specifically slugs and snails which damage crops or other valued plants by feeding on them.
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A number of chemicals can be employed as a molluscicide:
- Metal salts such as iron(III) phosphate, aluminium sulfate, and ferric sodium EDTA,[3][4] relatively non-toxic, most are approved for use in organic gardening
- Metaldehyde[5]
- Niclosamide
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (e.g. methiocarb), highly toxic to other animals and humans with a quick onset of toxic symptoms.
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Metal salt-based molluscicides are not that toxic to higher animals. However, metaldehyde-based and especially acetylcholinesterase inhibitor-based products are and have resulted in many deaths of pets and humans. Some products contain a bittering agent that reduces but does not eliminate the risk of accidental poisoning. Anticholinergic drugs such as atropine can be used as an antidote for acetylcholinesterase inhibitor poisoning. There is no antidote for metaldehyde; the treatment is symptomatic.
Slug pellets contain a carbohydrate source (e.g. durum flour) as a bulking agent.[6]
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