Frog menace

[Cedric]

Anyone oh anyone perfected a frog trap? Or a deterrent besides netting off every bit of water. This time of year is a nightmare of frog activity. They scream and shout chirp and whistle, bellow and hoot and all night, some even barking like dogs. They claw and scratch and rip water lily pads, deposit millions of eggs and slime all over the place, disturb planting media. Generally misbehaving in a frightful way.

I only like the little tree frogs they are very tame and prefer to sing than any of the above, discreetly making a foam ball in anything overhanging the water which i can gently remove and put in a more suitable place.

Tips needed urgently. I always know when a snake is around it goes dead quite out there, but there obviously isn't anything hungry enough to eat every single last one of them, because the next night they are at it again with what seems like renewed vigour. Happy to be alive I suppose.

[Cedric]

Wot with all that water splashing around, absolutely no one?

[Julles]

Sorry, no tips for you. 

Me, I'd quite LIKE to have some frogs - esp tree frogs - around here.

[Jerry]

I am with Julles!   Maybe you need a few snakes?

[ponderer]

We only have cute little singers here

[miguynmkoi]

You need to move out of sanctuary!    It's the price you pay to live in a forest.  We live in the suburbs but lucky to have a flowing creek across the street.  Lots of wildlife and noisy ones at that!

Frogs don't stay in my pond, only water containers throughout the yard.

[karen J]

Here ya go:

Deep Fried Frogs Legs
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1617,152188-243202,00.html

Other than that, I don't think there is any safe or humane frog repellent.

[barb]

I have bullfrogs in the pond, and they keep the other frogs away from the pond itself. So far they haven't laid any eggs, or been annoying.  They just hang out.  I'm sorry, I don't know what you might do to get rid of your frogs, and still keep a natural pond.

[LeeAnne151]

Most people are glad to have frogs.

The only way to have a pond that is free of wildlife is to completely cover it or have it indoors. Even then I bet wildlife will find a way.

[Esther]

You build a frog mansion and they will come.

[Double S]

That was my thoughts -- you build it, they will come!  I have tons here too. Some nights I have to step back from the pond when they get real loud. We have a few that just shreek loudly and can be ear piercing!  But still love the little cuties.  Unless it's a big hungry bull frog.  Then my fish come first!

[Kittyzee]

I hear ya Double S--walked to the garage to put trash in the bin and Friggity had a fish tail hanging out of his mouth    Now I've had this talk with him before, when I find evidence that he's eating my fish, he's outta here.  I netted him in 2 seconds, took the pics and went to the creek and sent him downstream!  Look how big he is--belly full of my pets!    :'( 

He had to be a foot long from nose to the tip of his hind feet!

[Ky Kim]

YUP> if you build it, they will come!

Kim

[Cedric]

Yes they come all right. I don't want anyone to misunderstand me, I like frogs but why cant they be like the salamanders nice and quite, silently and considerately living under the leaf litter eating worms, when they lay eggs in the pond its a thrill and I feel honoured.

We have some lovely frogs, little jewelled tree frogs, that live in the streams, with bright blue neon spots like stars and galaxies written across their backs, and placid little sticky fingered ones that happily climb onto your fingers and look at you with huge bulging eyes while tentatively chirping "don't squash me don't squash me" (i will take some pics tonight) and bloaters that live underground coming up once a year it seems to bellow like fog horns across the misty nights. These are lovely frogs.

The ones I am not fond of are also not native, Rana something or other and a bull frog species with huge gland secretion bulbs on its head. These are very destructive, no consideration at all for anyone else. I will happily catch them and release on the airport highway, sure they will be just fine.
Only kidding. Not sure what I would do with them. Something humane anyway. Its not their fault they are here. Put em in the deep freeze?

The eggs make such a mess and that constant barking at night is a menace. I think a trap is a good idea, I am thinking along these lines.

Kittyzee that frog is priceless, it looks like it could talk. It will be back. How far did you drive?

[Esther]

Cedric, are you really in Hong Kong? If you are, you may have problems we have no idea about.

I only get a toads in the first few warm days of srping who are doing the high screeching mating call. It only lasts a couple weeks. We get it from the back yard where they are on the pool cover and from the front yard where my pond is. I have never had bull frogs, only a few leopard frogs, but they never make the winter as there is no where for them to hibernate on the bottom of the pond.

[Cedric]

Cedric, are you really in Hong Kong? If you are, you may have problems we have no idea about.

Yes Im really in Hong Kong. In the new territories, part of the Ma On Shan country prk. Surrounded by dense forest as far as the eye can see. Frogs are my biggest problem right now. The bull frogs I dislike sound like they are laughing hysterically, ka ka ka ka ka ka!!!! Its very loud.

[LeeAnne151]

If you have North American Bullfrogs like the one pictured above they make the top 100 list of invasive species worldwide. They should be humanely euthanized in non native areas as they contribute to extinction of native frogs by eating them. The Marine or Cane Toad also makes the list.

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=80&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/ans/identify/html/index.php?species=rana_catesbeiana

[Kittyzee]

Actually Cedric, I WALKED to the creek which is swollen with rainwater right now and released him.  I really like bullfrogs, they are native to this area, but not in my pond.  He was king there, no other frogs at all:  because he ate them.  I will be looking for him to come back, he won't be hard to recognize and if he does, I'll politely escort him to the swamp that's about a mile from the house  

I am looking forward to having some chirping little green frogs and leopard frogs.  Hopefully some will show up. 

I think he was probably the largest bull frog I've ever seen, I wish I could've gotten better pics, but holding him with one hand while trying to snap off a shot, was quite difficult.  He wasn't afraid of me at all, but the cats were swarming below me wanting to play with him    I couldn't put him down because of that.  I did lay down the net and he jumped out once but surprisingly to me he was sort of slow.  Belly full of fish I figure 

[Mikey]

LuAnn: What a lovely pair of plump legs that frog has     

[karen J]

LuAnn: What a lovely pair of plump legs that frog has     

See? Taste like chicken! 

Me and my Big frog-



The Bullfrog above was relocated to our local swamp. Not without a kiss goodbye. Luckily he did not turn into a prince, because I already have one. 

[Cedric]

If you have North American Bullfrogs like the one pictured above they make the top 100 list of invasive species worldwide. They should be humanely euthanized in non native areas as they contribute to extinction of native frogs by eating them. The Marine or Cane Toad also makes the list.

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=80&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/ans/identify/html/index.php?species=rana_catesbeiana

No these are not them. I think our invasive species are the European toad and the frog I'm not sure where it comes from. This chappy pictured in the loving grip of Kittyzee is in fact not a bullfrog or a toad technically but the largest species of frog. I realise they are almost impossible to control, they breed like flies. The Australians have been trying for years and years to get rid of the cane toad they just keep coming, killing snakes that eat them fish that eat their eggs mammals, birds, truly a plague and rapidly spreading.

I will look and see what they suggest, or are attempting anyway. Please anyone getting giant African snails as pets be very careful we are also over run with these enormous molluscs. They eat everything plants dog poo rotting wood snails the lot it seems.

[Kittyzee]

Yes Mikey, his legs were quite long and plump!  Hubby wondered why we didn't have frog legs for supper too    I have just not been hungry enough to kill my food--somebody else would have to do it 

[LeeAnne151]

Cane toads are epidemic in Hawaii, the Caribbean and Florida as well. DH grabbed one on Maui, they are huge, ugly and they eat anything they can catch like Bullfrogs, their skin secretions are poison to other animals and dogs die every year too.

FYI My post above was not meant to tell anyone in the US whose Bullfrogs are NATIVE in their area (east of Mississippi river) to euthanize them.