Snails & Slugs incl. Cornu aspersum
Silver slime trails at sunrise and ragged holes in the hostas mean night-shift mollusks. Florida’s wet summers make beds against the house permanent slug habitat — and the state occasionally battles the invasive giant African land snail, which is a report-it, not a treat-it.
Signs you have them
- Shiny dried trails across patios and leaves
- Irregular holes in soft leaves, worst near the ground
- Snails glued under pot rims and ledges by day
What you can do today, free
- Water in the morning — evening watering sets their dinner table
- A board on the soil overnight becomes a collection point by dawn
- Iron-phosphate bait is pet-safer than metaldehyde; skip the salt ritual
Questions, answered straight
Is this even a pest-control thing?
It’s a lawn-and-bed thing — covered under the Lawn Bug Plan. And if you ever see a snail the size of your fist, photograph it and report it to FDACS; that’s the invasive giant African land snail and the state wants to know.
Garden Pests 
Aphids 
Cicadas