In
almost every case the first indication of hatchling activity is a ghost
crab hole over the nest. The reason for this is because the
crabs are very sensitive to the vibrations coming from the sand that
are produced by the hatchlings as they become active in the nest chamber. If
you doubt this then the next time you walk the beach at dawn of after dusk
walk barefoot, tread lightly, and look as far ahead of you as you can.
You will notice fast moving grey shadows disappearing 15 to 20 feet in front
of you. That's why they call them ghost crabs.
If
you find a ghost crab hole over the nest chamber do not use a trap.
If the crab is in the nest then leaving him all day gives him all day to
dine on our hatchlings. If the crab is not there then the hatchlings will be
trapped in the nest and won't be able to get out. What you have to do is dig
in with your bare hand, follow the hole to it's end, extract the crab and
relocate it to a better place. If you find a dead or injured hatchling then
remove it tend to its needs. Cover the hole back up with loose sand then
build a small dome on the top and tap it firmly in place to discourage renewed
ghost crab intrusion.
When you want to
put a trap in place to catch a ghost crab remember that it
will only be successful if there is a crab in the hole. A good
indication of this is when the sand around the hole is damp and darker in
color. It's pointless to put a trap over a hole that is surrounded by dry
sand.
The crab won't enter
the trap until he needs to leave his hole. That
happens at night when he needs to go to the sea. That's why
you must check the trap the next morning to see if it has been successful.
Ghost crabs are good
climbers but they can't go straight up. Place
the trap in the tunnel following the angle of the tunnel. The
tunnel never goes straight down.
These crabs aren't too
bright but they aren't stoopid either. If you don't firmly
imbed the center tube in the hole and build the sand up around the trap
then the crab will simply push it out of the way when exiting the hole.
Despite this semi-terrestrial existence, the ghost crab’s link to
the sea is a critical one that provides not only moisture for its gills, but also the necessary means
for development of larvae that are hatched from eggs that the females release at the water’s
edge .For more information
about ghost crabs see http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/wcp/pdf/Ghostcrab.pdf