W/l pond full of hornwort and snails - when is it safe to remove some?

Hi
I set up my little pond about 4 years ago and hornwort was one of the plants I added at the start.
It's not done much until this year - but now the only plant I can see in the water is hornwort and a vast number of snails. The whole pond is full to the bottom (2ft) with hornwort.
The pond is very healthy with lots of news (I just counted 16) and a frog.
I see some of the newts are still fat with eggs - when do they stop laying so that I can remove some of the hornwort?
Can a pond have too many snails? should I remove some?

Thanks

 

I remove weed at any time, if I spot any thing living in it I put it back in the pond, the weed I leave draped overhanging the edge of the pond for a couple of days most pond life then at least gets a chance to find its way back into the pond.

 

Normally such creatures self regulate their populations due to food sources etc, but following aquarium forums have read about snail populations in them exploding and their owners having to remove lots of them.

Don't think anyone can say whats the right level, so down to your judgement as to what seems right for your pond, though as you remove the excess plants you might find they become less.

Generally they do little harm, the only possible problem if they get into plague proportions, and as can happen, then die en masse and pollute the water, poisioning the other inhabitants.

 

I think snails mostly live on algae, so lots of algae will increase the snail population.
Alkaline water probably helps them.

Maybe get about half of the weed out while the newts are yet to lay their eggs.

 

Thanks for all your helpful replies.
I've pulled out quite a bit of the hornwort from one side of the pond and left it on the side. I'll leave the other side until later in the year
I picked out lots of snails too and hope the birds will enjoy them.

I kept tropical fish for 50 odd years and once had a snail explosion - I bought a pair of clown loaches and they cleared the lot in a few weeks.
I did tire of the sound of crunching coming from the tak all the time tho

 

I have lots of water snails in my pond. There is a lot of algae in my pond, so it's very comfy for them. I think the Blackbirds used eat the snails as I often found empty shells on the grass, but the grass has grown so long and thick I don't think the birds can get to the pond edges. Need to cut grass!!