What about insects? I saw a sowbug (rolly-polly... actually
closer related to lobsters, I think) inside a shell in the
garden and the little Argentine sugar ants seem to clean up
the bodies of garden snails that I leave crushed.

Uri Bar-Zeev wrote:

> Every now and than this question appears and the "freeze
> and shake" answer is definitely the most popular.Seldom
> some one care to remind the Hydrogen Peroxide which does
> miracles to the "hard to reach" remains.Few drops of a
> diluted fluid, leave it to "ferment" 10-20 minutes
> (depending on the size of the shell) and rinse with fresh
> water.This really remove all rotten remains. O ye, it
> works better on start to rot remains than on freshly
> dead.As I once learnt this from the list - here I
> contribute it back.Mike - Welcome to the club ;-)- Uri
>
>      ----- Original Message -----
>      From: Paul Monfils
>      To: [log in to unmask]
>      Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 3:38 AM
>      Subject: Re: Cleaning out the shell
>       The freeze-and-shake method works well for
>      removing the bulk of the soft parts. Flushing
>      with a high pressure stream of water (garden
>      hose, up close) may be more effective than
>      shaking, for removal of the final remnants from
>      the spire.  If the stuff doesn't come out by
>      such physical methods, liquid chlorine bleach
>      will dissolve out any remaining organic
>      material. It will also remove the fibrous
>      periostracum from the outside of the shell.
>      Follow bleach treatment with fresh water
>      rinse. Regards,Paul M.
>
>
>
>
--
Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net
san francisco native plants