Giant snails?

[Katherine]

I read an article today (which I do not know if I am allowed to post) about giant snails from Africa expected to invade Southern Florida,this coming rainy season, and seem to be common in Barbados. They can apparently grow the size of a rat, and are very destructive to vegetation and anything else it can gnaw. Knowing we have many friends in Florida, Barbados and other tropical area, I am curious if these snails find your orchids a delicacy.

[angela]

I read an article today (which I do not know if I am allowed to post) about giant snails from Africa expected to invade Southern Florida,this coming rainy season, and seem to be common in Barbados. They can apparently grow the size of a rat, and are very destructive to vegetation and anything else it can gnaw. Knowing we have many friends in Florida, Barbados and other tropical area, I am curious if these snails find your orchids a delicacy.

Hi Katherine
6/26/12 I responded to a Post here on the Fotum concerning these Snails.At that time they were a real problem here and I was having quite a fight in order to keep them away from my Orchids. YES they will devour a whole plant in one night. I am happy to report that the Govt. started a drive to get rid of them by offering to pay by the pound to have people collect and bring them in, and then they would burn them. What I did, was, stopped watering in the evening, and if it rained before my bedtime, I would go out all gloved-up, with a flashlight and a pail with Chlorox, pick them up and drop them in the pail. The Chlorox kills them and their eggs. You must NOT crush them. That only releases thousand of eggs into the ground waiting to hatch. I also had to use liquid Metaldehyde and water the perimiter of my property to stop them from coming from nextdoor.
I am happy to say I do not see them in my garden anymore, and the Dept of Agriculture has recently announced that a number of predators ie. Egrets and lizards had also helped. They have discontinued their bounty.
I saw the that article on MSn today, and I truly pray that those of you in S. Florida will be diligent so that they do not get to your 'chids.
Good luck.

[Katherine]

Glad you saw the same article Angela! i visited the Panama City area several years ago. Your bugs about did me in! i don't know what i would do if i saw a rat sized snail! Are they edible? One plate per snail?

[angela]

We have been told by the Africans that in their country tey are earen. We In Barbados DO NOT EAT THEM. they carry some kind of worm inside them that can make you very sick. Even so, since I have encountered these creatures I will never again be ordering Escargot in any restaurant!!!!!!!LOL

[Katherine]

We have been told by the Africans that in their country tey are earen. We In Barbados DO NOT EAT THEM. they carry some kind of worm inside them that can make you very sick. Even so, since I have encountered these creatures I will never again be ordering Escargot in any restaurant!!!!!!!LOL

I did read about the worm, I had forgotten. My gosh, here in the pacific Northwest we such small benign pests it is hard for me to imagine a snail this size. On the coast we don't even have mosquitoes!

[OrchidAddict]

Oh my gosh... I can't even tell you how completely freaked out I am about this whole conversation. I want to see pictures of these things... my goodness, I have never been so glad to live in Pennsylvania!! Of course, no place is really safe... I think the "stink bug" proved that to all of us.

But I'm counting on all you southerners to stop these giant mutant snails before they get to our area, because forget the orchids, I'd probably pass out if I saw one in person... and then it would go ahead and eat my daughter.

[OrchidAddict]

I had to look... I just had to... I couldn't help myself. Here's a pic from the internet...



That's just insane.

[Katherine]

Oh my gosh... I can't even tell you how completely freaked out I am about this whole conversation. I want to see pictures of these things... my goodness, I have never been so glad to live in Pennsylvania!! Of course, no place is really safe... I think the "stink bug" proved that to all of us.

But I'm counting on all you southerners to stop these giant mutant snails before they get to our area, because forget the orchids, I'd probably pass out if I saw one in person... and then it would go ahead and eat my daughter.

PM you link

[OrchidAddict]

PM you link

Yep! Beat you to it, actually... I couldn't resist doing an internet search, and your link was the first one that popped up!! You were probably emailing me the article just as I was posting the picture... LOL...

At any rate, that thing is gross no matter how you look at it... although I suppose the shell could be considered decorative... if the rest of the ugly mess were out of it, that is. It would make a nice home for a giant, mutant hermit crab I imagine.

[pavel]

Believe they're supposed to be pretty good eating. As far as possible internal parasites, Angela, pretty much the same story with any food animal -- make sure it is cooked properly.