I've got more and more of them digging holes with their classic chimneys all over the yard. They go down at least 3 feet but maybe deeper as I only had something to stick in the hole that was 3 feet. What's scary is one professor told me they have been known to go down 14 feet! I don't need that in my dikes!

Anyway, it was recommended by a pesticide supplier and I purchased a pesticide called Fire Ant Killer (Acephate). I'm supposed to drop a tablespoon of this mixed with water in the hole and cover it up.

I'm having second thoughts about using it for two reasons:

1.) What if the dog digs it up and ingests it?

2.) I'd like to remove them if possible as I can use them for my taxidermy dioramas. :-) Yeah I know they are edible but some of them are digging into my leach field so...

Anybody know if there is something I can pour in the hole and get them to come out? I'm thinking a mix of water and muriatic acid? If not a safer way to kill them?

Did an Internet search. Someone said boiling water down the hole will bring them up. I know that would work with me if I was in a hole.

I'll keep you posted. I've got to go boil some water.

What about plain ole saltwater?Or maybe a cyan pepper solution?Just thinking out loud.
Or maybe dynamite.Its the cureall for everything

I'm sure dynamite would work but I'm not that desperate yet.

But then again I could use some more ponds...

Can anyone even buy the stuff post 911? I had enough trouble buying Potassium Permanganate!

A spoonful or 2 of quicklime or Drano in each hole should work. Both are harmless to the environment, as they quickly break down into calcium and sodium respectively. Muriatic (hydrochloric) and sulphuric acid are also safe in small quantities. I'm betting copper sulphate crystals (as in some root killers) would also work, or at least turn the crawfish a striking azure color.

If there are just a few holes along your levee, any of the above could work. If you have 4-6 holes per square yard like me, you live with them.

You know..........nope can't post that. That'll get moderated for sure.

Reminds me of a story,........nope can't tell that story either. Banned for life if I tell that story.

Speaking of boiling water down a hole........nope, that won't work. Brettski will modify a of me picture to depict that story for sure.

Does anyone remember the time at the 2008 Pond Boss Convention........oh forgot, I swore I'd never tell that story. What happened in Arlington stays in Arlington, blah, blah.

Damn, I got nothing.

Cecil:

I heard somewhere that raccoons like crayfish. I've got 2 live traps, and a healthy population of reccoons that really, really would like a new home. Just give the nod and they'll be on their way!

I know for a fact that Cajuns like crawfish more than racoons and I have about a dozen that I can send you free of charge!

Cecil, look at pouring some liquid laundry soap in the holes. It coats them and they have trouble breathing. They will never make it to the top.

Cecil, ain't it always something? Ya spend a hundred bucks for a premit to take out two lousy GBH that ya can't hit and are going to kill more craws than you with all your high tech poison and ol farmer cures (I've tried the boiling water trick on my trailer drain and it is room temp by the time it gets to the clog). Ya try to pretty up the ditch and almost cause a Downy drain panic. Ya drop one male YP into a pond of beauties and it clones itself twice. Seriously, DD1 seems to have a good degree believability. Once again as with the boiling water treatment, won't the soap get diluted by the time it gets to em? This may be crazy but I'm sure your accustomed to that coming from me. How bout getting several mouse traps and place em around the chimneys and cover all with a 5 gal bucket? It sure works with keeping the cat off my bed. Sorry 2catmom, I'm sure you're cringing. Bob-O

Tie a chunk of uncooked bacon to a string and drop in in the hole. Wait for the crawdad to grab hold of it then slowly pull it to the surface then grab'em. Don't be distracted by the sounds of your neighbors pointing and laughing.

Raw liver works pretty well too. I can't tell you how many I caught in Wi. using liver on a jighead. But, it was in a lake and I was sight fishing with a flashlight.....

Yeah that's all I need is raccoons digging up the yard for the crayfish.

You're spot on Bob! Not only is it always something but I'm probably to blame for it all. I killed off some cats last year that were breeding and pi**ing on the deck at night driving the dog bonkers and waking us up, and guess what happened? The chipmunk population went crazy and started borrowing the heck out of the garden!

I put a pond in and I blame the herons for coming to dine! And last but not least I put an open ditch in for my trout pond overflow and it brings the crayfish onto the property from the highway ditch. I'm going to kill as many of these critters as possible and make the ditch a pipe! The ditch is hydrating the ground near it which gives them a corridor to move up in.

We are a peculiar species aren't we? We manipulate nature and we blame nature if things don't go as planned!

Oh btw, I dumped a gallon of boiling water down a 3 foot hole. Nothing came out.

I agree with DJT the bacon method works well.

When I first read this post I thought that Cecil was just showing off his vocabulary, terrestrial? Of course they are, I have never seen one flying. Avian Crawdadus Major. Where does E.T. come into this conversation also?
But luckily I did some research before I put my foot in my mouth.
Four hundred different types of North American crawdads! Some even considered endangered. You learn something everyday.

P.B. I tried to impress someone with my vocabulary once and I got laughed at. I heard Ted Koppel on his Nightly News program say, "I really can't say with any specificity." Wow that sounded really impressive so I memorized it! A few weeks later the wife and I were at parent teacher conferences for my nephew who we were taking care of at the time. I wanted to sound really smart so when one of the teachers asked me a question about my nephew and I didn't know the answer I said, " I really can't say with any specificity." The wife then said, "Cecil heard that on Ted Koppel's nightly news and he's trying to impress you! Needless to say it got some laughs and the wife got a dirty look. I was soooo embarassed!

as kids we used to put some fish guts into a fishing net and just submerge it in the water. Come by after dark and it'll be littered with crawfish gorging themselves. Easy way to knock off dozens at a time.
Also I catch quite a lot of crawfish in the cylindrical style minnow traps loaded with some scraps of meat or again, fish entrails. Using these methods you can catch more than one at a time and you really dont have to do much.

Cecil, - They hate Tequila, 1 short shot down each hole will bring them topside at a staggering pace.

Put them in the refrigerator until you have collected a couple dozen. Boil them in orange juice and grenadine syrup. You will have a nice Tequila Crayfish Sunrise, mmmmmm!

Not sure if the would work on dry land though.

why not dig a small hole near some burrows and a plastic funnel stomped into it? Smear/leave some bacon on the funnel to attract them and when they walk onto the plastic gravity and lack of footing will plop them into the pit underneath. As long as the funnel was flush around the hole they shouldn't be able to escape?
Just trying to throw out some ideas that don't involve eliminating going hole to hole

Thanks I appreciate your ideas and it might work. However I'm not sure if I want to dig too many holes. I've got at least 25 crayfish holes in the yard now.

I still think you need some extra raccoons!

Seriously tho, what about pouring some rock salt down the hole? I have no idea what it'll do, but I don't know if they like salt water or not.......

I think I'm going with the drano idea.

Easily available and i can't imagine them surviving that!

I just gleaned this tidbit from CJ's what clam? thread.

Batex at 0.25

mg/L, used to eliminate crayfish

No mention whether terrestrial or aquatic.....

Not sure Batex is legal or available anymore though.

Are we still trying to kill a crawfish? There has to be a 1001 ways? Dynamite always comes to mind(now that I 'know' Tom G.)
I remember Yolkie suggesting Red Devil Lye(Drano). Have you actually tried anything yet?

Just hot water which may or may not have killed the crayfish. Been too busy trying to get fish mounts done. I think at this point I need to kill them ASAP as holes are popping up all over the property!

Cecil:
The coon offer still stands! Dad's bird feeders were emptying out pretty quick so I set a live trap under them last night. He called @ 7:00 a.m. saying that there was one in the trap, and when it laid down it was the length of the trap.

Last year I caught 18 of them at their house.............

Hey guys,

I cant believe this thread has gone 3 pages Ha! We just mow them down with the lawn mower when we cut the grass.

What about if they start drilling into my dikes? Just hoping the problem goes away never works for me.

In Louisiana, for every crawfish chimney you find, there are usually several holes without chimneys. If that's the case in Indiana, all you can do is build wider levees. I have never seen a war against crawfish won.

I wish I could get a couple of dozen from you to use for fish bait today - those things are like candy (or cocaine) to LMB!

Oh man I didn't need to hear that.

If you decide to pour something down their hole, I suggest that you first slide a piece of PVC pipe down the hole (1/2"or 3/4" dia). Typically crayfish only dig down through the soil until they reach the ground water level - often just a few feet. This way whatever you pour down the hole will go straight to the bottom and not be soaked or absorbed into the ground around the tunnel before the solution reaches the bottom. If pouring hot water, pouring through a pipe will result in hot water reaching the bottom faster and hotter.

Excellent idea Bill especially since I measured one at 3 feet plus! I going to set a funnel on top of a piece of PVC and hit every hole!

Tomorrow finally I have time to make the rounds of the entire property. I think I'm going to use the insecticide that was recommended since I already have it on hand. No sense in buying some Draino etc. when I have this.

Reminds me or my last colonoscopy.

They didn't put you out? I don't remember anything but three women and a doctor before I went under. I just hope I didn't say anything bad!

Well I talked to the supplier of the Orthene and he said not to mix it with water. Said just to take a tablespoon and sprinkle it down the hole even though the holes are at least 3 feet deep. He said the crayfish will definitely find it.

Well since I bought this stuff I'm going to give it a shot. Thank you all for your suggestions. I will let you know if it seems to take care of the problem.

Cecil:

I don't know if this will work on your crayfish or not, but I found it following one of CJ's links.
Crayfish Trap

How's the eradication process going?

I need to get some more of the Orthene hopefully today. I missed a few holes and either the crayfish opened some back up or there are new holes. I'm also finding new ones in the pond bottom itself even though the pond is essentially dry.

Sounds like the Orthene is working for ya!

Good luck Cecil I hope your eradication efforts go well.

Update:

Eradication seems to be a success. I bought some granule ant killer and put one to two tablespoons in each hole and stomped them shut. I had a couple reopened and then treated them one more time. It seems to have done the job.

Note: If you do this I would recommend a funnel.

Good news!

Cecil, it seems like the only pest you haven't had yet is Bigfoot.

And commorants. (Says that with trepidation and his fingers crossed.)

Speaking with experience, the 17 HMR works wonders on them!

If they were a problem to me I'd prefer a cluster bomb if i could get my hands on one.