Salt is a science-minded man. I love the way it is glorified in horror movies. The priest recites obscure passages of Roman scripture. The priest then exorcizes the devout with blessed salt. Do you want to ring a bell?

Salt in real can exorcise any organism by drawing out the soul (in our case water), not only in movies. The result is that the plant or being disappears from existence.

Is salt also able to affect snails? How does this happen?

Let me geek out.

What Happens When You Put Salt On A Snail?

Salt is a natural kryptonite that snails can use. Salt will dehydrate snails and remove water from their skin, a process known as the “osmosis effect”.

Snails, like us, are dependent on water. They seem to appear suddenly during monsoons because of this.

Their dependence on water is what makes them vulnerable to dehydrating elements like sodium chloride and salt.

The explanation for a snail’s death due to salting is much deeper than that.

While it is clear that salt exposure causes osmosis to dehydrate snails’ bodies, it takes time for them to react. How can salt melt instantly when sprinkled on the snail’s skin?

Let’s dive even deeper.

The Real Reason Behind Snail Melting When Exposed To Salt

Every cell has an internal balance between the sodium (Na+), and the chloride (Cl) ions. These ions play a major role in the functioning of a snail’s body.

You may be surprised to learn that there are pumps within cell membranes that move sodium and chloride ions in order to maintain a steady flow.

The balance of ions in the snail is instantly disrupted when excess salt (NaCl), is thrown on it.

Overexposure to this much NaCl can cause the pumps to fail. The snail’s cells are now flooded with toxic substances.

To counter the toxic effects of salt, the snail will naturally produce large amounts of mucus. This is to trap the salt in its body and then get rid of it.

However, to make significant amounts of mucus, the snail will consume all the water in its body. This results in rapid dehydration.

The ionic salt dissolves easily in the mucus, and prolongs its effects.

The snail will eventually become dehydrated and will die immediately.

Should Salt Be Used As a Remedy For Controlling Snails?

Salt death is the cruelest way to kill snails. It is hard to believe that anyone has the stomach to witness how these creatures react when they come into contact with salt. You might also consider other humane execution methods, such as the beer method.

Salt is not a good option to kill snails when they are eating your vegetables and plants. The same effects salt has on plants as in snails. This is something you won’t want to do.

There are many other options that can be used to get rid of pest snails in your yard.

Methods To Control Snail Infestation

• Beer method
• Get your hands dirty
• Chemical warfare

Beer Method

Snails are attracted to the yeasty smell in beer. The beer’s ethanol puts them to sleep as they drink until they are full. The snails will die if they have had too much to drink. It is much easier to die while you are asleep than melting salt.

To make it work:

• Place beers in containers, and place them in areas where there are high levels of infestation.
• Let the snails drink to death.
• Remove the dead snails and replace the beer every two days.

Make Your Hands Dirty

Snails are easily spotted, unlike other pest species. Handpicking snails daily is the best way to get rid.

After collecting a bunch of snails, you can put them in a bucket with soapy water or ammonia at a concentration of 10%. They will die instantly.

Chemical Warfare

Although I don’t support this method, it is the only way to protect farmers from snails.

Because they are tedious, handpicking or using the beer method won’t work when dealing with large numbers of snails.

Do Snails Feel Pain If You Put Salt On Them?

Although there are no scientific evidence to support this, it is known that snails have neurons that they use to make complex decisions. They can feel extreme pain or discomfort when they are sprinkled with salt, even though they don’t possess a spinal cord nor a single brain.

Salt and copper can cause discomfort and pain. The jury is still out on this.

Why Doesn’t Salt Affect Us Like It Does The Snails?

Our skin is tougher than that of a snail. Because our cell membranes have a thicker layer, salt can’t affect them as much.

However, you can still feel the pain if you sprinkle it on a new wound. Only then would we be able to imagine what it must go through for a snail when sprinkled with salt.

Final Words On What Happens When You Put Salt On A Snail

Salt causes a rapid reaction in a snail’s slimy skin. Salt causes a disruption in the balance of sodium ions and chloride ions within a snail’s cell structure. This causes it to bubble, shrink, and eventually die from dehydration.

Salt is not the best way to eliminate a snail infestation. You can either handpick or use snail traps to get rid of them.