Florida maintains a relentless fight against giant African land snails (Lissachatina fulica), an invasive species that was first detected in the state in 1969 and has since been eradicated twice, once in 1975 and again in 2021, according to data. from the US Department of Agriculture.
Now, the authorities have located a new colony further south in Florida, in Broward, around the city of Miramar, just 35 km from Miami. Faced with the possibility of a plague, those responsible have decreed a new quarantine in that area, to prevent residents from coming into contact with and moving these mollusks in nature, some of whose specimens can reach up to 20 centimeters in length.
Giant African land snails were first detected in Florida in 1969. Since then, this invasive species has been eradicated twice: once in 1975 and again in 2021. When it was believed that there was no trace of these molluscs left, in December 2022 one specimen was discovered in Lee County, leading to the discovery of new specimens, and prompting authorities to quarantine some areas in March 2023.
It is not the last colony, because the authorities have now detected a new one further south, in Broward, around the city of Miramar, just 35 km from Miami. Residents are advised to avoid coming into contact with these mollusks.
The giant African snail eats almost 500 different species of plants, is capable of laying 1,200 eggs a year, and carries a worm that is a parasite of rats and can cause meningitis in humans, the main health risk.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the same eradication method that was used in 2021 will be used, baits with a chemical substance that are approved for residential use. In addition, raids will be carried out with the help of dogs to capture these molluscs on the ground.
