Preventing meningitis caused by parasites

[AlohaSteven]

Good idea! StillHope wondered about using soil free of slugs, perhaps for use in raised beds or in pots on benches, but noted such soil “...could be loaded with the slugs. I guess, not much one can do about it...”

Actually, the core idea itself --gardening in soil free of slugs & snails and their eggs-- is sound, imho; the issue is how best to detect and clear the soil of such critters and their eggs when they are present?

Baking or steaming the soil might be one way to achieve this end of killing slug and snail eggs; if done in combination with charcoal (biochar) production for incorporation into raised beds then the energetics of such an approach may not be so outlandish. I have heard commercial scale mushroom growers, for example, routinely steam the soil mix they use for cultivating greenhouses full of mushrooms in order to prevent molds, slimes, bacteria and so on from outcompeting the desired mushroom crop growing in nutrient-laden trays. I wonder what the highest temperatures reached would reliably be in a layer of wet soil sandwiched between two layers of thick black Visquene (plastic tarp) exposed to direct Puna sun all day long, perhaps several days in a row? Probably this would depend on the thickness of the soil and cloud cover, but it seems like if the layer was thin enough (several inches?) then on a cloudless day the soil in a big black plastic sandwich bag would heat up to piping-hot temperatures.

Likewise, I wonder if channeling steam into the bottom of a tank or into a covered raised bed filled with soil--as via perforated pipes embedded beneath the soil--might be effective. There are solar approaches which could be scaled up and adapted to make the strategy cost effective (e.g., http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=e4iU9kbn1wI); certainly, drenching soil with very hot water will kill slugs & snails but whether it would also kill their eggs would need to be tested.

GardenGuide (http://www.gardenguide.biz/pests/slugs-and-snails.htm) notes “In theory...compost should eventually get hot enough to kill slug eggs and drive away the adults. This requires a sufficient volume and regular turning. In practice a domestic compost bin may not achieve this temperature, especially if you are regularly adding vegetable waste (which is the whole point of them). Regardless, you will eventually accumulate enough compost to think about putting it on the garden. The adult slugs will probably have died or gone by that stage. At that stage it would be best to spread the composted material for a while where sun, birds, etc. can get to the eggs and prevent them hatching out.“ Here, chicken, chicken, chicken....

Here are some potentially useful website links I have come across on identifying, killing, and preventing the laying of tough slug & snail eggs in bedding soil.

Photos of slug & snail eggs; how many times have you seen these in the soil of plants purchased at a store?
http://www.cirrusimage.com/mollusca_garden_slug.htm

Photos of slug laying eggs-
http://snailstales.blogspot.com/2006/05/...-eggs.html

Noteworthy remark by Larry A. Sagers- “Although slugs and snails require moisture to thrive, they survive in reasonably dry conditions by hiding in protected areas. Cultural practices to control these pests can be effective. They include sanitation, hand picking, traps, barriers and natural enemies. Start with garden cleanup by removing boards, stones and any debris that shelters them. Remove weeds or unnecessary foliage so that the soil surface dries out rapidly. Dense ground covers and turf are ideal hiding places.Handpicking is a time-consuming but effective method of control if done regularly. Daily removal is recommended right now to prevent reproduction. Water the garden in the afternoon, and after dark find the pests and remove them. Do not smash them in the garden, as the eggs can remain in the body, hatch and reproduce even though the parent is dead.” [Emphasis added]. http://www.larrysagers.com/weeklyarticle...09-06.html

Organic solutions largely focusing on barriers and prevention strategies-
http://www.ghorganics.com/page13.html
Notable observation by Bill Mollison, permaculture expert: "You don't have a slug excess, you've got a duck deficit!"

Photo of Hanover slug fence cross-section, plus comment “The best way to kill slugs is to use boiling water. Of course you must also dispose of the eggs too.”
http://www.slugfence.com/slug_info/body_slug_info.html

Hanover slug fence site-
http://www.slugfence.com/slug_info/fence..._info.html

Comments and cautions on poisoning approaches-
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/...21505.html

StillHope's notion is a good one- clearing gardening soil of slugs, snails, and their eggs is probably not feasible when growing in large patches of ground soil amidst Puna's jungles, yet if leafy veggie cultivation is occurring in pots on benches, in raised beds, or inside greenhouses (where the entire greenhouse may be periodically sealed and steamed if an infestation of slugs and snails is noted) then then this could be yet another useful angle of approach for ultimately reducing and eliminating sources of rat lungworm infectivity. Combining this strategy together with barriers and all the rest could (should, even) make a big difference for the better.

Finally, one last note: since the public health officials are endorsing rinsing leafy veggies in distilled water but the plain fact is that purchasing an endless amount of distilled water is simply beyond the means of most folks in Puna, especially for larger scale producers and users of leafy veggies (such as restaurants), this site http://www.redrok.com/water.htm describes a number of potentially cost-effective methods for water distillation relying upon the sun for distillation energy rather than having to sell one’s soul to HELCO.

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