Invasive African Snail Prompts Quarantine In FL's Lee County

LEE COUNTY, FL — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has quarantined a portion of Lee County to eradicate the giant African land snail, one of the most damaging snail species in the world.

According to the agency, the giant African land snail was first discovered in Lee County in December. The confirmation came several months after the snail was detected in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County.

The species has been eradicated twice in Florida, according to the agency. The most recent eradication of the snail was in 2021 after it was found in Miami-Dade County in 2011.

According to the agency, the species consumes at least 500 different types of plants, making it a potentially devastating threat to Florida crops and plant life. The snails also pose a severe health risk to humans because they carry the parasite rat lungworm, known to cause meningitis.

Giant African land snails are illegal to import or possess in the United States without a permit, the agency said.

In Lee County, officials have been monitoring the snail population, which has grown since it was first detected in December. Officials enacted the quarantine to start treatment using a poisonous snail bait federally approved for use in residential areas.

Anyone living within the quarantine area will be notified at least 24 hours before the planned pesticide treatment.

More information on the quarantine area is available online.

According to the state Department of Agriculture, the giant African land snail population in Lee County has dark brown shells with grayish-brown flesh, while the snails detected in Pasco County have light to dark brown shells with milky white flesh.

It is illegal to remove a snail from a quarantine area without a compliance agreement with the state, officials said.

Anyone who believes they identified a giant African land snail should email a photo to DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov for confirmation.