Giant African Land Snails have been discovered in Pasco County by a gardener and confirmed by The Florida Department of Agriculture.
The Giant Snails are described as the most damaging snails in the world.” The giant African land snail gobbles up plants and can carry a parasite known to give people meningitis, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Giant African land snails spread around South Florida in the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Getting rid of them cost $1 million and took several years. The snails were found again in Miami-Dade County in 2011, according to the state, and were only eradicated last year.
Removing them entailed destroying more than 168,000 snails and countless eggs, according to the federal agriculture agency.
The Snails can lay up 1,000 eggs a year!!!!
The department of Agriculture has begun laying Snail bait in the New Port Richey 600ft from the discovery.
For more information, including advice on identifying giant African land snails, visit the Florida agriculture department’s website: https://bit.ly/3A1kBg0