Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Indiana crawfish

Papershells / Calico Crayfish Orconectes immunis in stream settings are more strongly associated with lowland streams where they can burrow into clay pan. They also are more tolerant of stream drying out periodically than the other species species that are also primarily aquatic occurring in same areas. When I have had outbreaks of Digger Crayfish, it involves only young-of-year that were spawned back in March and April. The adults stay in ponds for most part only to breed, then they move away from waters edge. Sometimes the digger crayfish YOY abundance can be very high, especially when no crayfish eating fish present. Generally they YOY will have moved away from the open water of pond to more terrestrial / digging mode of living.
Both of the devil crayfish species also operate only in open water when very young and when breeding. In stock ponds used for watering and minnow production production ponds, a strong Calico Crayfish population can push the digger crayfish out. The Devil's type crayfishes can still persist but at lower abundance. The Calico crayfish is preferred for a variety of reasons, including not digging as much through levees. Virile Crayfish and White Crawfish can also suppress the Digger but latter is hard on levees too. What I call the two Devils Crayfishes are referred to as Cambarus polychromatus and C. diogenes in linked document above. The big eyed critter is the one that as adult moves a good distance from ponds and streams they breed in.