Dangerous, invasive giant African land snails found in Fort Myers, again

It’s been slow work for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as they snap on rubber gloves and rake Earth along the Caloosahatchee.  A handful of team members comb the ground in the 6.76 Sq Mile area in Lee County, currently in the Giant African Land Snail Area.

Monday and Tuesday, two snail shells were found near the intersection of East Riverside Drive and Freemont Street.

Matt Brodie is responsible for surveying for FDACS; he explains the snails are illegal in the United States because they spread disease and destroy crops.

“There are chances for the nematode to migrate to your brain and give you Meningitis,” explained Matt Brodie.

Meningitis can be deadly.

Brodie explained while it is unknown how they got here, they are valued in the illegal animal trade.

The invasive snails thrive fast and eat more than 500 different plants. “They can even eat the paint or stucco off a building,” said Brodie.

A Giant African Land Snail reaches sexual maturity after about six months. They have both male and female sexual organs and can typically lay about 2,000 eggs in a year.

Brodie said surveyors had found 87 snails or shells in the quarantine area since December, including ones living near East Riverside Dr. Live ones are humanely frozen and sent to a lab in Gainesville, where they are tested for rat lungworm.

Brodie said the team would survey and look for the snails every two to three weeks. Because of how they lay eggs, it could take a couple of years to eradicate them entirely.  Historically, Florida has dealt with this three times.

If you see one, you are asked not to touch it. Instead, call the state at 1-888-397-1517.