South Florida is back at war with an invasive, disease spreading pest: the giant African land snail.
The mollusk was detected in Miramar earlier this month. A quarantine and treatment area has since been set up.
These snails are not the type you find in escargot. They’re illegal to import and possess without a permit.
Eradication efforts are not new. Florida officials have spent millions of dollars tracking down the snails over the past 10 years, hoping to completely remove them. They can eat building plaster and stucco, devour plants and carry diseases that affect humans.
In 2021, the state even announced they had been eliminated. A year later, the snail popped up again, just north of Tampa. Another discovery late last year put the snail in Lee County, on the Gulf Coast.
The detection in Broward County makes the third in less than a year. Luckily, they move slow. So far, only one slug has been spotted.
Here’s a mini cheat-sheet about the species — and what you need to tell your friends and family what to do in the case they see one.
What they look like: Not your garden-variety snail
Giant African land snails have a distinctive whirled light brown shell with brown and cream-colored bands. They can grow up to eight inches — about the length of a banana — and four inches in diameter. On average, they’re about the size of an adult fist.
Why they’re dangerous: A threat to homes, plants and human life
The snails are known to eat 500 different plant types, making them a major threat to agriculture, including peanuts, beans, cucumbers and melons. They also eat plaster and stucco on buildings. They can crawl up the sides of houses and, yes, eat your walls.
They also carry a parasite called rat lungworm, which can cause meningitis in humans. And, on top of all of this, they reproduce quickly. One giant African land snail can produce 1,000 offspring in its lifetime.
If you see one of these large snails, don’t touch it.
How they're being eradicated
Florida officials have authorized quarantine areas in Broward, Pasco and Lee counties. The property areas are treated with snail bait and surveyed daily by state workers aided with dogs trained to sniff them out.
What to do if you see one
It's against the law to move a giant African land snail in a quarantine area. Outside of one? Use this ID guide to confirm you found one. If you're not entirely sure, email a photo of the snail to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The email address: DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
