Cray fish burrows

Posted by Lora Goerlich on April 19, 2008

Q: I have a lot of cray fish burrows in my front yard. When I am out mowing I try to avoid running over the chiminey part of the burrow. Occaisionally I do hit one with the mower deck or tire. Will smashing down the burrow chiminey harm the cray fish?

Thank you!

Habitat: field/meadow

State: Ohio

Habitat: field/meadow

A: Interesting question and one I think I can answer but not one I have any data to back me up on. As I understand it, the chimneys are merely the material that has been removed from the burrow and isn't a necessary requirement for the crayfish. Knocking down the chimneys shouldn't make any difference, as far as I can tell, to the animal. Nice to see someone taking such pains to respect wildlife - I applaud your good intentions. Thanks for asking and my best to you.

John Wiessinger ( April 21, 2008)