What is building this mud turrets in my garden? How to get rid of it please?

[IgboChief]

11 minutes ago, IgboChief said:

Kudos Sir, I tip my had! This is a perfect match and it looks like I have been wrong, twice! Thanks for helping out: How to get rid of it?

Am still undecided. The pictures for match perfectly and the chimneys are quite tall (25 cm the biggest ones).

But that crawfish would have to be tiny given the diameter of the chimneys. Also I can't imagine having that much crawfish around although the is a huge reservoir close by.

 

For the moment, I still consider the cicadas which are abundant here. Let me try to collect more samples.

 

But I wonder: does nobody of you have any similar problem with the garden?

 

 

[Sophon]

1 hour ago, Golden Triangle said:

Google don't know or ever heard of them, got a pic ??

I think he means Crawdad (no "L").

[IgboChief]

That's rather unfortunate:

"There are no pesticides, fumigants, or toxicants labeled safe to use on the crustaceans. Any poisons will contaminate the adjacent water. The best way to remove them is with trapping."

 

"Traps are humane and nontoxic. You don’t have to worry about poisoning other animals or leaving persistent residue in your soil. To trap crayfish you need metal traps, some bait, and soil anchors. The best baits are meat that is slightly off, or wet pet food. The stinkier the better according to pro baiters."

 

(from https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/getting-rid-crayfish-in-lawn.htm)

 

Looks like I will have to install regular Som Tam Kung "you eat what you catch" parties in my garden during the raining season.

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by IgboChief

[sungod]

5 hours ago, IgboChief said:

Cicada nymphs

Sounds like the name of a bar I should go to once all this madness has ended.............

[IgboChief]

Final call:

 

Thanks all for helping, especially @wwest5829

Cheers

[pseudorabies]

4 hours ago, wombat said:

closet greenie says... 
check under what conditions they become carcinogenic 

I'd be more concerned about risk for Parkinson's disease.  There is a very strong link between exposure to pesticides and herbicides and neurodegenerative diseases like PD.

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/parkinsons-disease-and-pesticides-whats-the-connection/

[Daffy D]

No No NO not the LYE................................

[JetsetBkk]

Well, I think you should consider what Bonnie L. Grant said here  : "try to consider them a unique wonderful creature sharing your space".

 

Sweet! ????

 

[JetsetBkk]

1 hour ago, IgboChief said:

But I wonder: does nobody of you have any similar problem with the garden?

Only this guy who doesn't have much of a head for heights:

 

[MrJ2U]

Termites.

 

That's incredible.

 

Almost our entire property is cemented or tile.  Too many creepy crawly things here.

 

I can walk outside our gate if I want nature.

[IgboChief]

Beautiful video.

That's a wasp though, very useful insects. They do not come in legion and turn your garden into a mood puddle.

[IgboChief]

7 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

Termites.

I do not think so. That's a wasp: https://uwm.edu/field-station/great-black-wasp/

Termites are much smaller and are not living sole in a hole.

 

Quote

Almost our entire property is cemented or tile.  Too many creepy crawly things here.

Uhm, that would be a very expensive "solution"though.

Edited July 31, 2021 by IgboChief

[Nojohndoe]

2 hours ago, IgboChief said:

Mine says the same, but I was talking about the garden and the chimneys.

Nice  ! But in the serious question of your problem a non chemical way to reduce the nymphs may be to get a heavy vehicle to "roll" the ground at at time when it is not so wet as to get stuck. As a farming technique it is/was used to kill wire worm and other pasture infestations by simply squashing them at a time when close to the surface. Or given it is quite a large expanse of open turf plant a useful crop?

[MrJ2U]

9 minutes ago, IgboChief said:

I do not think so. That's a wasp: https://uwm.edu/field-station/great-black-wasp/

Termites are much smaller and are not living sole in a hole.

 

Uhm, that would be a very expensive "solution"though.

It was very expensive.

 

Wasps, OMG.

We have those.  Big ones.

 

Stay safe!

[Moonlover]

My Issan country gal says worms. We get some in our garden, but I'm not much of gardener so I leave it to her and her uncle, (one of many) to keep order out there.

 

I vote against Cicada. The fly lays her eggs at the roots of the trees and the grubs borrow down and  feed on the sap until they mature. I don't see a lot of trees in your garden.

[IgboChief]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

I don't see a lot of trees in your garden.

Trust me, there are. Few of 40m plus, no hard wood though. Mostly Mango trees, Lam Yai, Litchi and Coconut palms. Plus a few Makham and Baelfruit. Bananas and smaller trees which I do not know. The picture shows a small angle of the front side towards the roads.

 

I definitely have lots of cicadas. They make a hellish noise during the summer season. And they build chimneys too, just not THESE chimneys.

Am convinced now it is the crayfish. Installed two cages with bait, lets see what will happen. Ordered 25kg Lye and heavy duty rubber gloves on Lazada too (well, my daughter did.)

 

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by IgboChief

[thairastawoman]

By the way, any idea how to stop red ans on a fruit tree near the house ? they are so annoying and jump on me when opening the door !

is the only solution to cut the tree ?

 

[Netease]

You might try getting some Ducks or Chickens, they usually eat everything.

Not sure if it will work 

Apparently Ducks will help with Snails in your pond

Trial and Error 

[drtreelove]

8 hours ago, IgboChief said:

Trust me, there are. Few of 40m plus, no hard wood though. Mostly Mango trees, Lam Yai, Litchi and Coconut palms. Plus a few Makham and Baelfruit. Bananas and smaller trees which I do not know. The picture shows a small angle of the front side towards the roads.

 

I definitely have lots of cicadas. They make a hellish noise during the summer season. And they build chimneys too, just not THESE chimneys.

Am convinced now it is the crayfish. Installed two cages with bait, lets see what will happen. Ordered 25kg Lye and heavy duty rubber gloves on Lazada too (well, my daughter did.)

 

 

Lye or lime?  If lye, you may not need to worry about mowing the grass any more. If lime, be sure that a soil pH test indicates acidity, or you may be driving the alkalinity too high.  In either case, I don't think either is appropriate for the cicada control. 

 

I'm not sure about details of the cicada life cycle here, but we just had a giant cicada turn up in our yard here in Chiang Mai, so that indicates it is the season for emergence of adults. If that is what is happening in your yard, then the timing may be past for control of the nymphs in the soil.  So it may be useless and a waste to apply harsh chemical insecticides like Sevin (a carbamate that really should be avoided for the toxicity issues, and is not necessary) or Reclaim IT (bifenthrin, a potent pyrethoid, less toxic but not without some concerns, effective for turf grubs but hell on beneficial soil biology). 

 

As for the cicada turrets, I'm not a golfer but maybe a 9-iron would give you the heavy metal to level the field and be able to pick up the clods, and save your mower blades. 

 

As for the cicada concert, my daughter says she prefers her headphones and BlackPink. 

 

 

 

 

[BTB1977]

Garden gnomes. Don't want to <deleted> off those little guys. 

[Freddy42OZ]

15 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Google don't know or ever heard of them, got a pic ??

He means 'Crawdads' not crawldads.   In other words crayfish.

[Freddy42OZ]

They are almost definitely worm casts. 

Solutions are improve drainage.
Remove leaves and other loose plant matter, as that is a lot of what worms feed on.
When the casts are dry just brush them into the lawn.

From the quantity and size I get the feeling you are not doing lawn maintenance very often.  

 

[Sydebolle]

Cicada chimneys - as self-protecting measure by a colony of cicadas which grew completely out of proportion. Know 'em off will result in the cicadas drowning; a more radical cure is a non-toxic pest control potion to be sprayed over the territory = same result! 

[brianthainess]

18 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

My wife says a big type of  worm

Put your clothes on then. 

[brianthainess]

12 hours ago, thairastawoman said:

By the way, any idea how to stop red ans on a fruit tree near the house ? they are so annoying and jump on me when opening the door !

is the only solution to cut the tree ?

 

If you want to save the tree you will need insecticide( available from Lazada), spray near the nest, First off see if you can locate the nest, cut it off wearing long sleeves and gloves, have a large container or water handy, grab it and drop it in, (my missus does this for the eggs/larvae) let 'em drown. then spray the whole tree, insecticide is water soluble. The nest may not be in that tree.

[KeeTua]

16 hours ago, Moonlover said:

My Issan country gal says worms. We get some in our garden, but I'm not much of gardener so I leave it to her and her uncle, (one of many) to keep order out there.

 

I vote against Cicada. The fly lays her eggs at the roots of the trees and the grubs borrow down and  feed on the sap until they mature. I don't see a lot of trees in your garden.

Issan women are experts when it comes to insects. They know them all and not because they are interested in scientific research. They know everything that is edible or inedible above and below the ground. These are kee-sai-duan (ขี้ไส้เดือน) in Issan and very helpful for the soil.

 

These worm condos will appear overnight during the rainy season, cut the grass one day they will be back in a day or two. There are no cicadas around to keep rebuilding like that.

Edited August 1, 2021 by KeeTua

[overherebc]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:10 PM, IgboChief said:

Does the dog help me to mow?

 

There's a song that says   one man and his dog went to mow a meadow. ????

[Gandtee]

11 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

He means 'Crawdads' not crawldads.   In other words crayfish.

Crayfish in the lawn. What? Is it under water? I thought crayfish were river dwellers. A confusion in naming methinks.

 

 

 

[JetsetBkk]

On 7/31/2021 at 9:49 PM, IgboChief said:

I definitely have lots of cicadas. They make a hellish noise during the summer season. And they build chimneys too, just not THESE chimneys.

I used to have a lot of cicada, until my landlord got "7 Pest Control" in for the termites. They killed everything. I used to love  photographing them.

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

On 7/31/2021 at 9:09 AM, hotchilli said:

Put a tot of whisky into a watering can, water the lawn evenly.

The grass comes up half-cut.

Boom Boom????