Clusters of hot pink apple snail eggs cling to reeds and cypress trunks, a backdrop fitting for either an alien invasion movie or a Floam commercial.
As the snails advance in Louisiana’s waterways, they destroy aquatic ecosystems, eating their way through native flora and fauna and infecting other animals with parasites. Their presence can spell ruin for a rice crop or a crawfish pond.
Hot and humid climates of the Mississippi River Valley are teeming with invaders like the apple snail that wreak havoc on ecosystems and agriculture…