I don’t hate amphibians, but I used to look for solutions of how to get rid of frogs. First of all, they are noisy. When the night comes, especially in the rainy season, I can hear them from every direction around the house. Another reason that I want to keep them away is that my kids are afraid of them. I like appreciate that they help to reduce the increasing population of many pesky bugs like mosquitos. However, the two reasons above overshadow everything. Since I successfully found how to get rid of frogs, I am happy to share my methods with you too. And of course, they are all humane and simple, I hope one of them works for you.
Contents
How To Get Rid Of Frogs
Step 1: Identify Frog Species
Before doing anything, you have to know which frog species that you are going to deal with first. For example, it is illegal to harm tree frogs because there are laws to protect them since they are endangered. You have to know which type of frog that is bothering you because different strategies work with different frog species.
Step 2: Change The Environment
Bear in mind that certain animals start living in certain areas because the conditions and environments are favorable for them. The primary method that you want to begin with is by making the surroundings less appropriate for them to live in. Frogs live in places with moisture and water, and these are the first 2 things that you should change. Check if there are any sources of water such as puddles or objects that can contain water that you can eliminate. Frogs also take residence and lay their eggs in pools during breeding or rainy season. But I am sure that covering the pool alone is not going to change much. This is why you should identify the problems to know the approach that works best in getting rid of frogs.
Step 3: Pick The Most Suitable Methods
Once you are clear with the causes that brought frogs into your property, pick the solutions from my recommendations below. Some of them are merciful while others are merciless, and it all depends on you to choose the most suitable options.
Catch Them
Many people don’t prefer this method but some find it fast and useful. It could be a regular night or a rainy night when frogs come out to feed. When the croaking gets louder, sometimes it is better to go out there and catch them than trying to sleep. If you plan to do so, you need a flashlight, gloves, and a net. Put on your gloves, shine your flashlight on the ground, and catch them in your net. Relocate them somewhere else, and repeat this until there are no more of them. It is an immediate method, and it works almost every time.
Create Barriers
It is unavoidable to experience frog invasions when you live near a large body of water. To prevent them from entering your property, you can build or create a barrier of your choice. There are many options such as barbwires fences, mesh fences, plastic fences, or wooden walls. A wall will actually keep things out in this case, and make sure its height is beyond their jumping skill.
Eliminate Food Source
Apart from favorable living conditions, food sources are also the reasons that attract frogs. The favorite meals of these amphibians are insects like bugs, flies, mosquitos, etc. Since a majority of frogs feed at night, you should turn off some lights around the house if you can. Commonly, lights attract bugs that are the main diet of frogs at their feeding time. In case you want the lights on, use insecticides in those areas to control those insects.
End Their Cycle
It could be still early if you spot clusters of frog eggs or tadpoles swimming in your pool. Before those eggs hatch or those tadpoles develop into adult frogs, take action immediately when you still can. There are 2 ways that you can apply this method, depending on your preferences. The first option is scooping out the eggs or tadpoles, put them in a bucket, then take them somewhere else. Find bodies of water far from your house that you think are suitable for their development and leave them there. The second option is to leave the eggs or tadpoles on the ground after scooping them out from the pools. They simply die without water, and you can clean them up after a couple of hours.
Freeze Them
I disagree, but many people think it is a humane way to kill frogs. Also, this method is more suitable for a small number of frogs that you can catch. Put the frogs that you had caught into a container, poke air holes into the containers for ventilation. Put the frogs in the fridge, then leave them there for 24 hours. Frogs are cold-blooded animals so they will go into a state of hibernation in this process. Then the cold will kill them without them knowing. You can do it if you don’t mind slaying frogs inside your fridge.
Remove Possible Habitats
Frogs are quite adaptive when it comes to habitats as long as the conditions are moist. Tall grasses can attract both bugs and frogs because those grasses create a perfect hiding spot for them. When there are small insects or spiders in the tall grasses, frogs will also present sooner or later. So if you don’t regularly mow the lawn, it can also be the cause that invites frogs into your property.
Step 4: Use Natural Remedies
If none of the tips above work, you may proceed to this step by using natural remedies. There are multiple remedies available, and here are some of the effective remedies from here
Citric Acid
Although natural, citric acid is the least humane method to deal with frogs. Concentrated citric acid can kill frogs, and it is the solution for large frog infestations. Create your solution by getting 16% of the acid and spray it around the areas of the infestation. It discourages them from visiting the area, and it will drive them away. The citric acid will only kill the frogs if you directly spray it on them.
Coffee Grounds
Hearing frogs croaking at night is no different from drinking coffee before sleeping. However, the coffee ground is an effective method to repel frogs from the property. Similar to some home remedies, the coffee ground is an uncomfortable element for frogs’ feet due to the acidic substance. If you spot an area where frogs usually gather, spread coffee ground in those areas to keep them away.
Salt
As you may already know, salt burns the skin of frogs upon contact. This is among the most effective methods to get rid of frogs on a small or medium scale. Simply mix it with water then spread it around the areas with their population, and they will leave your property alone. When you apply the solution, make sure to avoid plants because they will die from dehydration.
Snake Repellents
Surprisingly, snake repellents work just as effectively when it comes to getting rid of frogs. For some reason, frogs don’t like snake repellents and they tend to stay away from those products. Snake repellents do not cause any harm to the frogs, it’s just that these amphibians prefer staying away from them. Killing two birds with one stone, these repellents simply chase both the frogs and snakes away from your property.
Vinegar
It is one of the best home remedies that you can use for a wide range of problems. So how to get rid of frogs by using just vinegar? All you need to do is mix vinegar with an equal amount of water in a spray bottle. Vinegar causes a burning sensation on a frog’s feet, and they also don’t like its smell. Spray your mix in the areas with frogs, and this natural frog repellent will do its job right away. However, avoid spraying it on plants because it can affect their growth or taste.
Step 5: Prevent Them From Taking Residence
After you dealt with frog infestations around your home, it is time to take measures to prevent their returns. The methods that you are going to see below are also helpful if you haven’t had frog infestations yet. It is not easy to get rid of them although there are many ways on how to get rid of frogs. With the simple tricks from the suggestions here, at least you can discourage them from coming into the property.
- Cover the pool so that frogs cannot lay their eggs when you don’t check on it.
- Drain the pool if you don’t use them, especially after rain because frogs also come out at that time.
- Use a circulation pump during pool season because moving water will keep the frogs or insects away.
- Make sure to mow the lawn and trim the grasses or plants around the house regularly. When there are no possible places to inhabit, those frogs will go somewhere else.
Why Should I Keep Frogs Away?
Since frogs don’t cause any harm by trying to live their lives, why should you get rid of them? As I mentioned, a few frogs are not a big deal but too many can be a huge nuisance. Imagine the hundreds of eggs that are going to hatch in your pool or around your house. This is not the only reason, there are some other problems that frogs cause such as:
- Frogs make loud breeding calls at night and on rainy days.
- Some frogs may invade electrical equipment that can lead to damages and short circuits.
- According to the University of Florida, there are invasive species that interfere with the breeding of native frogs and their tadpoles.
- One of the most common invasive frog species is the Cuban Tree Frog. Their skin secretes a potent mucus that can irritate your eyes and nose, cause allergy-like symptoms, or trigger asthma attacks. The consequences do not only affect humans but also pets if they come into contact with the frog’s dangerous mucus. These frogs are also known to invade toilets and clog drains as well.
- When you don’t take action to get rid of them early enough, there will be more of them. Then it will be extra costly and difficult to keep them away from your property. Sometimes people tend to brush it off when seeing a few frogs hopping into their lawn. But some frogs can be pretty invasive since they may also live in your garage and other areas within the property.
- Frogs are not good for kids, for both those who are afraid of them and those who like them. Kids who are scared of frogs will no longer want to play outside because they don’t like them. Some kids, especially little girls, want to follow what they saw from cartoon movies, kissing a frog. Frogs are one of the animals that are the sources of salmonella. There are more than 50 children who became sick after kissing a frog, according to OregonLive. This is among the most important reasons why you should pay attention to how to get rid of frogs.
Conclusion
A few frogs around the house can be a good thing because they keep the population of insects down. However, it is not okay if there are too many of them to the point that there is an infestation. Before calling a terminator to deal with them, it is advisable to try using humane and natural ways first. Even if they can cause a ruckus sometimes, they don’t cause any harm to us. I am sure that at least one of the approaches on how to get rid of frogs above will work.