Yes, yes, yes. I have them everywhere and then some. In the flowerbeds also. I put a plank tied behind my truck to knock them down every time before I cut the grass or it would ruin my lawn mower. And I can't even eat them cause I am allergic to them. Thought about pouring a little acid in each hole but there are too many of them. Now all the animal rights people will get after me. Are crawdads animals? LOL. Hope not too many people have this problem because they are a mess.

Patrick

'Crawdad Castle' is a stunning new addition to the Texas Pioneer (TM) series of easy-care roses. Bright coral-red blooms with an enticing fragrance of garlic butter sparkle on a well-branched plant that tolerates poor drainage conditions.

Please post pictures!!! I've never seen a crawdad catsle.

I was really hoping for photos, too. No crawdads here, though. Plenty of other pests.
:)
Kathy

We see them down at the creek but have never seen a castle. Now I'm curious. Please post when you can.
Mary

Here's link about crawdads (that's what we call them here), crayfish, or crawfish. The 2nd picture shows the burrows or castles.

Eric

Here is a link that might be useful: Crawdaddies!

Part of our yard in Virginia was occassionally swamp. The 'castles' were there, but only in wet times, in dry times they'd migrate back to the creek.

(The old Toro riding lawnmower blades could handle them, and redistribute the soil.)

Here are some shots of my own personal castles (and believe me, I had many to choose from):

This one is open at the top (a skylight!)
{{gwi:253292}}

This one has been closed off at the top (I guess he wanted some privacy for whatever he's doing down there):
{{gwi:253293}}

Here's two (a duplex!) in a bed next to cannas:
{{gwi:253294}}

They do come out more when it is wet and it is VERY wet here right now and they are all over the yard but especially in the wetter areas. However, they are also in the good draining areas too.

(I think Michaelg was saying something about my drainage :) lol)

Oh well, if anyone has any suggestions as to how to get rid of them, it would be appreciated. I suppose the answer might be: improve your drainage!

Lynn

michaelg, that was a good one. I almost headed to ARE site to see the actual description!

ick..

Why do you want to get rid of them? I lived in Houston for 30 years, so I can speak from experience that they are harmless.

Collinw, I know they are harmless (heck we used to catch them and put them in the back of my dad's pickup when it was full of water!). And I wouldn't mind a few of them here and there but the castles everywhere are extremely unsightly. It's like having mounds of dirt all over your yard. We aren't talking about one or two or ten or twenty even - really you can't imagine how many there are out there in my yard right now. BUT even that would be tolerable but they get in my flower beds and make a real mess. They dig holes right next to my plants which I have to assume means that the roots are now exposed to air. They push the dirt all up over my mulch (some of these castles are 5-6 inches wide and at least that tall).

I'm not trying to get rid of all of them - impossible! - and I have certainly lived with them in my yard for years but how can I get them out of my flower beds? That's really what I want to do.....once they have dug their little hole and pushed their little dirt balls onto the surface, is there some way to get them out (without doing anything horrible).

I admit they are mostly an annoyance but it's like having any other critter in your yard that destroys your hard work - you JUST WANT THEM GONE!

Lynn

I would think the only thing that would work would be some physical barrier like landscape fabric or the metal hardware cloth to prevent them from coming up beneath the surface.

Eric

They look like the sand castles we make at the beach.

I would keep them. Good Karma for the roses.

I feel your frustration; I have chipmunks. I think that landscape fabric is a good idea. I just always lived with them and accepted that 'my' yard is part of 'nature', after all.

I think they're neat--thanks for posting pictures. I'd try to incorporate them somehow--put in mini succulents around them and make a surreal rock garden.

I can empathize. I have moles in the yard. I think moles are about the cutest animal I've ever seen, so I live with them and their tunnels. I wish they would go next door but they might not be safe there, so here they stay.

I do like crawdads as well, but we don't have them up here in our yards in CT. I can see how the mounds would get annoying. I would love to see how they build them. I've never heard of this. I'm fascinated by the mud dauber wasps as well and we always have at least one on the deck. We also have some sort of yellow jacket who makes a paper nest. We've never been stung so we just marvel at their perseverance and ingenuity.