Homeowners prefer to get rid of frogs in their garden areas due to many reasons. While frogs can be beneficial animals to have around, but, as they increase, the situation gets problematic.
Instead of being beneficial animals in our gardens, frogs and toads can take over areas, in addition, to attracting predators, and turning gardens into battlefields.
Luckily, keep reading as we have compiled all things you need to know about how to keep frogs away, get rid of toads, and keep frogs out of yard areas for good.
Contents
How To Get Rid of Frogs
Getting rid of frogs and toads can be a bit tricky especially when your aim is to do it as humanely as possible. Many frog species are protected by state or federal laws and cannot be moved or harmed.
According to the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), over 500 species of frogs are listed as critically endangered.
Here are the steps and techniques you’ll need to get rid of frogs using the most humane and environmentally-friendly ways possible:
– Identify the Species
The most important step begins with identifying if they are frogs or toads that live in your property. In addition, identify the species of the frog or toad and determine if they fall under the endangered species.
It is also normal to doubt the species, for the latter, you may opt to consult with someone from your local environmental council, your local animal welfare authority, or even a qualified pest control company to check and determine the species and conservation status of the frogs and toads on your property.
– Determine The Reason For Their Presence
The most common attractants for frogs and toads in properties are the presence of water and insects. These two factors can ensure that frogs can live and reproduce in the area. Pools, fountains, or areas and containers that often store water can become ideal breeding grounds for frogs and toads.
– Remove Amphibian Attractants From Your Home
Make sure to drain or cover all water features in your property such as pools and fountains. For areas that are sunken and encourage water pooling, you can even fill in the area with soil. Keep grasses and plants neatly trimmed to eliminate any possible hiding places for frogs and toads.
Pet food left outside can be a source of attraction not just to frogs and toads, but to other wildlife as well. Pet food has been designed to appeal to animals and gives off a strong enticing scent. This is because you will be better off feeding your pet inside your house, or hiding their outdoor dishes inside once your pet has finished eating.
– Eliminate Sources Of Food
Reduce or eliminate all possible sources of food that attract frogs and toads. Clean your garden well to ensure that insects do not hide in secluded areas. Mosquitoes, flies, crickets, and other insects will be less prone to stay in areas where they cannot hide or reproduce.
At night, turn off any outdoor lights that attract nocturnal insects which are prime food sources for frogs and toads.
You can even use insect repellents to keep insects away, depriving frogs and toads of their meals, additionally note that some insect repellents can be in the form of sprays or plants with insect-repelling qualities.
Combine these methods with keeping your garden clean, your garbage bins covered, and eliminating stagnant water sources, you can easily control the insect population in your property.
– Catch Them if You Can
Given that you’ve identified the frog population as being harmless and not endangered, you can now opt to catch them if you are not too squeamish about the task. If you are hesitant about capturing them and releasing them somewhere else we’ve got some ideas for you to think about.
You can use a long-handled net to capture frogs and toads in your area. Some people prefer to use a long-handled gig pole. When capturing frogs and toads, be sure to wear protective clothing as some people are allergic to frogs and toads.
The best time to capture frogs and toads is at night. Shining a light in their eyes can make them stop and freeze in their tracks. When the frogs and toads stop moving, they can be more easily captured.
Place the captured amphibians in a container that can keep them from escaping. You can even add ice to the container to force the frogs and toads into hibernation. You can then relocate these frogs and toads somewhere else far from your property.
– Employ Frog Repellents
Frog repellent mixtures are quick solutions to get frogs out of your yard. While these frog repellents can successfully repel frogs and toads, sometimes they leave your soil ecosystem in a bad shape. We’ve listed some natural alternatives that can help repel frogs and toads.
– Coffee Grounds
Sprinkling coffee grounds on your property can help lessen the presence of frogs and toads. The acidic nature of the coffee grounds affects the pH level of the soil, making the ground uncomfortably for sensitive amphibian feet. You’ll need to make sure that when you place coffee grounds on your property, your plants can tolerate acidic soils.
– Saltwater
Spraying saltwater on your walkways and gardens discourage the presence of frogs, toads, and slugs. The salt can act as a dehydrating agent upon contact with the tender skins of amphibians and slugs.
When they are exposed to salt, these garden critters tend to move away immediately due to the stinging sensation.
You may have to face the possibility that frequent spraying of saltwater can cause salt accumulation in your soil. Excess salt can render even the most healthful soil inhospitable to plants.
– Vinegar
Equal parts of vinegar and water have been found to have some levels of success when it comes to getting rid of frogs in yard areas. The acidic quality of the vinegar can hurt the sensitive skin of the frogs and toads, discouraging them from venturing even nearer to your property.
In this case, some extra care has to be exercised when using this technique to ensure that the vinegar solution does not harm plants, pets, or other wildlife in the nearby areas, for safety purposes and making sure no damages will be caused.
– Citric Acid in Water
There has been some reported success in using citric acid mixed with water. Citric acid is the chemical compound in citrus foods that give them their sour and tart taste. As citric acid can be found sold commercially in many physical stores as well as online.
Additionally, citric acid in water sprayed on frogs and toads has been found to deter many of them, although further studies need to be conducted to fully explain this method.
– Bleach
Bleach has been alleged to help repel frogs and toads from yards, gardens, and other outdoor spaces. By using a diluted solution of bleach and water, some homeowners found that the strong pungent scent of the bleach was able to deter frogs and toads.
It is crucial that care has to be exercised when using this method as bleach might affect your plants, pets, and other materials in your property that may be affected by bleach.
– Snake Repellents
Snake repellents have been known to work on frogs and toads, although the exact explanation still has to be fully determined. The snake repellents won’t harm the frogs or toads but rather discourage them from settling in your property.
Do not use mothballs as frog repellents. While they can help deter frogs and toads from entering your property, mothballs do more harm than good. Their chemical formulation is not suited for exposed areas, and using mothballs other than their intended use is illegal in many regions.
– Put up Physical Barriers
Putting up barriers around your garden can be ideal, except that doing so may be costly and require frequent maintenance.
Frogs can jump, and toads can be known to slip past fences, so a tall physical barrier with small holes can be the most practical solution out there. To lessen your work and your costs, you can place your barriers around pools, fountains, and other water features instead.
– Obstruct Their Reproduction Cycle
When you spot frog and toad eggs in water, you can simply scoop them out with a net and leave them out to dry. You can even use the same technique when you see tadpoles in the water. By doing this, you interrupt their whole reproductive process and lessen their population on your property.
– Consult With a Qualified Exterminator
Whether you’ve tried everything and did not produce the desired results or you simply have no time, turning to experts can save you a whole lot of time and effort. Many companies offer relocation and extermination services and will also help with preventive measures for the future.
Exterminators often employ heavy chemicals in their operations, so you may need to confirm the level of toxicity that may affect your pets, children, or the existing flora and fauna in your property.
First Things First
After listing the multiple methods of how to get rid of frogs in yard areas, let’s try to understand these amphibian animals. Frogs can be incredibly helpful in getting rid of pests in our gardens like flies, mosquitoes, and other insects. However, they can become bothersome themselves if their population is left unchecked.
A Brief Overview of Frogs and Toads
A large frog or toad population in your yard may be an indication that you either have an insect concern or an existing stagnant water issue. A large insect population coupled with the presence of water is an invitation for frogs and toads to congregate.
An overpopulation of frogs and toads can become invasive and unwanted. The infestation can even cause illnesses or cause fatalities in pets, livestock, and humans directly or indirectly.
What Are Frogs?
Frogs are amphibians that need water to survive as their life cycles begin along the water and underwater. Frogs lay their eggs, which develop into tadpoles that later mature and develop into more frogs.
There are many different species of frogs, although their most common trait is their need for access to water and preferred food sources like insects.
When left unrestricted, frogs and toads can quickly take over your area and become the very pests that you initially wanted them to control.
– The Differences Between Frogs And Toads
Frogs and toads are often mistaken as a singular species, although there are clear differences between the two.
Physically, frogs have moist, shiny, smooth skins and prefer to live in water most of the time. Toads tend to have dry, warty, bumpy skins and usually live on land most of the time. Frogs also possess longer legs which they use to hop around from one place to another at great leaps and bounds. Toads have shorter legs so they tend to crawl rather than hop.
When reproducing, frogs lay their eggs in clusters while toad eggs are often found in a link of chains. Some frogs and toads can be major irritants to human contact, and may even secrete poisonous substances when they sense danger. This characteristic can be lethal for some pets and humans.
Either way, both frogs and toads can pose a problem if they are allowed to run rampant and uninhibited in your garden.
– When Are Frogs Beneficial to Our Properties?
Frogs have an unfair reputation of being invasive pests, but when they live in moderation in our properties, they can provide a lot of benefits to our gardens.
Frogs and toads can reduce the insect population. By having a reasonable amount of frogs and toads in our properties, we lessen the use of insecticides.
However, the presence of frogs and toads can also mean we may have an unwanted insect population in our area.
The fecal matter of frogs can help fertilize our plants in the garden. The rich chemical make-up of amphibian waste has been reported to increase the fertility of the soil. By having a sensible number of frog and toad population in our properties, our soils are enriched naturally.
– Additional Information
A healthy frog and toad population can still benefit you in the long run. By naturally controlling the insect population, frogs and toads can lessen the amount you spend in time and money using insecticides.
Another benefit of having a minimal frog and toad population in your area is the healthy level of natural fertilizers present in their fecal discharges. These natural fertilizers act as incredible supplements to your soil, enhancing the health of your plants as well.
However, we have to remember that too much of a good thing can be harmful. That said, a high population of frogs and toads in our properties can bring us more problems than solutions.
Whether you are currently facing this situation or are stocking up on gardening knowledge, we hope this article can help you form remarkable solutions and ideas for your property.
Remember, we should always strive to maintain a healthy environmental balance. Whatever method we prefer to use, we must always remember all our actions can result in beneficial or harmful circumstances.
FAQ
What does it mean when you have a lot of frogs in your yard?
Having many frogs in your yard may indicate a healthy ecosystem or the presence of standing water. It is not necessarily a problem.
What is the best homemade frog repellent?
A mixture of water, vinegar, and salt sprayed on the ground may repel frogs.
How effective are ultrasonic frog repellents?
Ultrasonic frog repellents are not very effective as frogs may become habituated to the sound. Physical barriers or habitat modification may be more effective solutions.
Conclusion
Frogs and toads can be incredibly helpful in gardens, but not when they become invasive.
A large population can also indicate that you may have large insect populations that attract these amphibians and that is another matter you may need to determine and resolve.
Getting rid of frogs and toads humanely is the most ideal way, and let’s recap what we’ve learned so far:
- Frogs and toads can be beneficial animals in our properties as long as they do not become invasive.
- Once their population becomes invasive and potentially harmful, we must ensure that the frogs and toads are removed or relocated as humanely as possible.
- Some frogs and toads are considered critically endangered by some states so it is prudent to clarify with your local animal welfare authority to determine the species and status of the frogs and toads that live on your property.
- Remove their sources of food by ensuring your property is free from insect issues. Make sure your plants and grasses are trimmed, garbage bins are closed, and your overall property is clean.
- Call a professional qualified exterminator if you prefer to reduce time and effort in controlling frog and toad populations on your property.
We hope that you use all that you’ve learned from this article in a responsible, healthy, and environmentally-conscious manner. Until then, we wish you to have a very safe, conscientious, and humane way of getting rid of frogs!
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