Animal infestation is one of the worst nightmares of tenants, whether it is from rats, cockroaches or any other type of insect, owners should carry out a thorough cleaning of their home, as well as periodic prevention strategies to avoid the spread of pests’ appearance of any type of pest in your home.
Even so, as much as an individual takes great care in this type of prevention, if his neighbors promote the appearance of pests with their actions, disaster is inevitable. As has happened in Pasco County, Florida, which has been forced to quarantine the entire territory due to a plague of giant snails.
The Florida Branch of Horticulture and Shopper Administrations (FDACS) affirmed the presence of these snails in the New Port Richey region, in Pasco Province, on June 23 and after two days requested the whole domain to be isolated to stay away from gambles.
"These snails pose a health risk to humans because they carry a parasite called rat lungworm that can cause meningitis," Christina Chitty, director of public information for FDACS, explains to CNN, adding that "They are capable of producing up to 2,500 eggs per year, so the population is difficult to control.”
For this reason, the authorities have been forced to quarantine the area, preventing residents from moving the snail or related items, such as plants and soil, inside or outside the designated area so that the plague does not spread further and does not entail a danger to no one.
The origin of these pests is in the illegal possession of these snails as pets
Although these giant African land snails are illegal as pets in the United States, some exotic pet owners still have these invasive pests. If abandoned in the wild or accidentally lost, they can quickly establish themselves, feeding on more than 500 different plant species, consuming house paint and stucco as a source of calcium. A series of factors that make its eradication exhaustive and extensive, can even last for years.
In fact, it is not the first time that Florida has faced the giant African snail, last year Miami-Dade County finally managed to eradicate a plague of these animals that had been in the population since 2011.
Quarantine for invasive giant African land snails
On June 23, after a gardener found one of the specimens, the Fdacs confirmed the detection of a giant African snail in a specific area of Florida.
Therefore, almost 5 days later, the entity enacted quarantine and began the treatment -compatible with residential use- to combat the presence of the mollusk, which is considered a harmful pest.
One of the dangers of this type of species is that it can produce up to 2,500 eggs a year, making its population difficult to control.
In that context, it was reported that it is illegal to move the giant African land snail or any of the following items: plants, plant parts, plants on the ground, soil, yard waste, debris, compost, or building materials, within, to through or from a quarantine area.
Giant land snails are native to East Africa and can grow up to 8 inches long, Christina Chitty explained, adding that their presence in Paco County "probably originated from the illegal pet trade."
“If homeowners abandon them in the wild or accidentally lose them, they can quickly become established, feeding on more than 500 different plant species and even consuming house paint and stucco as a source of calcium.”
But their arrival in North America goes beyond the damage it can cause to the local flora, they also represent a serious risk to human health by carrying the rat lungworm. This is a parasite that causes meningitis in humans.
For this reason, the professional suggested that snails should not be handled without proper protection and sanitation.
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