Giant African terrestrial snail invasion prompts quarantine in South Florida | Florida
Invasion of giant African terrestrial snails worries southern residents floridaAuthorities have set up quarantine areas to deal with destructive pests.
Invasive snails are voracious eaters and eat at least 500 species of plants. According to the Florida Department of Agriculturewhich is a concern for the state’s profitable and growing industry of citrus and other fruits and vegetables.
In response, the government set up a “treatment area” covering dozens of blocks in the city of Miramar, southwest of Fort Lauderdale, where snails, slimy creatures, carry the parasite rat lungworm. warns residents that it poses a serious health risk to humans. , known to cause meningitis.
Under the quarantine order, the ministry said that “any large African land snail or any regulated object including, but not limited to, plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, garden waste, rubble, compost, buildings, etc. It states that it is illegal to move “things”. material”.
The area will be sprayed with metaldehyde, a chemical snail bait that is approved for residential use.
Snails are illegal to import or possess without a license in the United States, and authorities been trying for years to eradicate them. In some areas, it damages buildings and destroys crops. considered a delicacy.
Detroit customs officers seize a traveler from Ghana in March Trying to smuggle 6 snails I entered the country with a suitcase.
It was one of the largest outbreaks in 2014, when Miami-Dade city officials discovered about 150,000 snails in more than 20 separate areas of the county, many of them clinging to houses to get calcium in their shells. I was eating plaster and plaster in the middle of the day, and I was eating. garden.
Since then, intrusions have occurred almost every year in other parts of Florida. Pasco County Quarantined It was spotted in Newport Richie last June after more than 1,000 snails, whose females lay up to 2,500 eggs per year, were spotted.
Experts believe the snails first arrived in Miami in 1966, and within six years their numbers ballooned to about 18,000. As reported by ABC Newsthe species was declared eradicated twice in Florida, in 1975 and again in 2021.
“The main danger is that they are voracious vegetarians, which can cause devastating damage to both landscapes and agriculture,” says entomologist William Kern of the University of Florida. told Miami’s local 10 news station..
“When snails crawl on uncooked vegetables, they can pose a problem for humans to infect humans. Any alien species can be controlled or eliminated if detected early.” .”
Summarize this content to 100 words Invasion of giant African terrestrial snails worries southern residents floridaAuthorities have set up quarantine areas to deal with destructive pests.Invasive snails are voracious eaters and eat at least 500 species of plants. According to the Florida Department of Agriculturewhich is a concern for the state’s profitable and growing industry of citrus and other fruits and vegetables.In response, the government set up a “treatment area” covering dozens of blocks in the city of Miramar, southwest of Fort Lauderdale, where snails, slimy creatures, carry the parasite rat lungworm. warns residents that it poses a serious health risk to humans. , known to cause meningitis.Under the quarantine order, the ministry said that “any large African land snail or any regulated object including, but not limited to, plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, garden waste, rubble, compost, buildings, etc. It states that it is illegal to move “things”. material”.The area will be sprayed with metaldehyde, a chemical snail bait that is approved for residential use.Snails are illegal to import or possess without a license in the United States, and authorities been trying for years to eradicate them. In some areas, it damages buildings and destroys crops. considered a delicacy.Detroit customs officers seize a traveler from Ghana in March Trying to smuggle 6 snails I entered the country with a suitcase.It was one of the largest outbreaks in 2014, when Miami-Dade city officials discovered about 150,000 snails in more than 20 separate areas of the county, many of them clinging to houses to get calcium in their shells. I was eating plaster and plaster in the middle of the day, and I was eating. garden.Since then, intrusions have occurred almost every year in other parts of Florida. Pasco County Quarantined It was spotted in Newport Richie last June after more than 1,000 snails, whose females lay up to 2,500 eggs per year, were spotted.Experts believe the snails first arrived in Miami in 1966, and within six years their numbers ballooned to about 18,000. As reported by ABC Newsthe species was declared eradicated twice in Florida, in 1975 and again in 2021.”The main danger is that they are voracious vegetarians, which can cause devastating damage to both landscapes and agriculture,” says entomologist William Kern of the University of Florida. told Miami’s local 10 news station..“When snails crawl on uncooked vegetables, they can pose a problem for humans to infect humans. Any alien species can be controlled or eliminated if detected early.” .”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/22/giant-african-land-snails-florida-quarantine Giant African terrestrial snail invasion prompts quarantine in South Florida | Florida