Dangerous African Snail Invading Miami, Florida: Update.
The Dept of Agriculture just shared this item with local growers and we thought you should be aware of it too:
Since their initial discovery in September 2011 by the Florida Department of Agriculture, state officials have now captured a total of 78,000 Giant African Land Snails in Miami- Dade County. The snails eat stucco, threaten more than 500 crops, and carry a parasite charmingly called ‘rat lungworm’ that can transfer a strain of meningitis to humans. Unfortunately, experts say the invasive species could take another 2-3 years to banish from South Florida.
A detailed article about this invasion is available on the Huffington Post. You can get a taste of it below and I’ve included a link to the article for you also.
A slimy invasion is still oozing through Miami, and we aren’t talking about South Beach club-loving tourists. State agriculture officials announced Wednesday they have now captured a total of 78,000 giant African land snails since the current infestation was discovered last September.
