A growing infestation of one of the world’s most destructive invasive species, the giant African land snail, is being fought in South Florida. This species can grow to the size of a rat, capable of gnawing through stucco and plaster.
According to Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, over 1,000 of these mollusks are captured weekly in Miami-Dade, amounting to a total of 117,000 since the first sighting by a homeowner in September 2011.
As the state’s rainy season approaches in just seven weeks, residents can expect to encounter them more frequently, often crunching them underfoot as they emerge from their underground hibernation, Feiber noted.
The snails are known to attack “over 500 known species of plants … essentially anything that is green and in their path,” Feiber commented.
In certain Caribbean nations like Barbados, where these creatures are rampant, their shells have been known to puncture tires on highways and become dangerous projectiles when struck by lawnmower blades. Additionally, their slime and excrement create slippery coatings on walls and pavement.
“It turns into a slick mess,” Feiber remarked.
Typically, a single snail can produce approximately 1,200 eggs annually. They are particularly troublesome in homes due to their preference for stucco, which they consume for its calcium content necessary for shell development.
Furthermore, these snails can transmit a parasitic rat lungworm that poses health risks to humans, including a type of meningitis. Feiber clarified, however, that no cases of this illness have yet been reported in the United States.
