Hello, and thanks for your inquiry. We don't have anyone on staff with expertise in this area. However, other information from Extension specialists provide the following information: 

Crayfish “chimneys” (mud turrets/mounds over a burrow) in lawns almost always mean the soil stays consistently wet—often from a high water table, poor drainage, a nearby ditch/pond/stream, or frequent irrigation. In those conditions, crayfish can live in/near turf and push a lot of soil to the surface, especially seasonally (often spring).

What works best (non-chemical)

1. Fix (or reduce) the wetness that’s attracting them

• If you irrigate, cut back—overwatering can maintain the wet soil conditions they need.
• Improve drainage in low spots (regrade/raise the area, address compaction, redirect downspouts, etc.). Habitat modification is the main practical way to discourage them long-term.
• If the area is naturally wet (near the ditch), you may have better results by rethinking turf there (e.g., a naturalized wet area/bog planting) rather than fighting the site.

2. Manage the mounds for lawn use

• When the soil is workable, rake the turrets/mounds smooth or disperse them with a strong stream of water from a hose (this doesn’t “cure” the cause, but it makes mowing safer/easier).

What not to do

• Don’t look for a lawn pesticide “crayfish killer.” Extension resources indicate there’s no pesticide labeled for crayfish control, and chemicals applied in these wet/ditch-adjacent soils can move off-target and pose water-quality risks.
• Don’t capture and release them somewhere else. In Michigan, releasing unwanted aquarium species is illegal and can cause serious environmental harm; in general, avoid moving/releasing crayfish to other waters or ditches.

I hope this helps.

On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 2:57 PM, Ask Extension wrote: