They’re back! In 1966, a child smuggled three giant African land snails into south Florida which were released in their garden. Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails had been found and it took 10 years and $1 million to eliminate them. Florida is once again faced with an invasion by this snail. It feeds on hundreds of different plants and can transmit meningitis and other diseases to humans. Learn more in this 3-page fact sheet written by John L. Capinera and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in904
Tag: Snails and Slugs
Terrestrial Snails Affecting Plants in Florida (EENY497/IN893)
Most snails are either beneficial or harmless, but a few snails may feed on economically important plants and become pests. The terrestrial species that can become plant pests are discussed in this 12-page fact sheet written by John L. Capinera and Jodi White, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, July 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in893
Applesnails of Florida Pomacea spp. (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) (EENY323/IN598)
Applesnails are larger than most freshwater snails and can be separated from other freshwater species by their oval shell that has the umbilicus of the shell perforated or broadly open. There are four species in Florida, one of which is native and considered beneficial. Both the island and channeled applesnails are potential threats to Florida’s aquatic ecosystems. Learn more in this 5-page fact sheet was written by Thomas R. Fasulo, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in598
Terrestrial Slugs of Florida (Mollusca: Stylommatophora: Veronicellidae, Phylomycidae, Agrolimacidae and Limacidae) (EENY494/IN891)
Most slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female sex organs. This makes slugs particularly dangerous as invaders because even a single individual that escapes detection can establish a population in a new environment through self-fertilization. This 11-page fact sheet discusses the slug situation in Florida, including problems with slug identification and taxonomy, as well as the behavior, ecology, and management of slugs. Written by John L. Capinera and Jodi White and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology , June 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in891