Giant Snails On The Move In South Florida
August 5, 2013 
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has notified stakeholders of two new regulated areas for giant African land snail (GALS) in Miami-Dade County, FL.
In September 2011, APHIS confirmed the detection of GAS, Lissachatina fulica, in a residential area of Miami.
In less than a year after its discovery, more than 78,000 snails had been collected on 350 positive properties in 18 core areas of Miami-Dade County.
Program personnel recently detected GALS in two residential areas outside of existing regulated areas in Miami.
GALS is one of the most damaging snails in the world because it is known to consume at least 500 different plants including vegetables, fruits, and ornamental crops. Since the initial detection, APHIS has actively worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to conduct survey, regulatory, control, and outreach activities within the affected areas.
Under IPPC standards, Lissachatina fulica is considered to be a pest that is transient: actionable, and under eradication in the U.S.
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