Frogs are very vocal, and their loud croaking can be annoying. In addition, frogs can damage plants and gardens when they eat the bugs that you want to keep away from your plants. Most people don’t want to hurt the frogs, but they want them to go away, at least during the summer months. The good news is that there are several ways to get rid of frogs humanely and effectively.
But before we dive into specific methods, we have to consider certain things:
Factors to consider before deterring the frogs
Frogs can be a welcome addition to the garden and eating mosquitoes and other bugs, but sometimes they can become a nuisance.
Should you want to deter these amphibians from your landscape, there are many factors to consider before using any chemical or repellent.
- Frogs are more than just a cute creature; they play an important role in our ecosystem. As tadpoles, frogs eat algae growing on rocks in ponds and lakes. Adult frogs eat insects, including mosquitoes, flies and beetles that destroy plants in your garden. They also play host to other creatures: snakes, birds and bats eat frogs.
- Make sure it is not a protected or invasive species. There are over 5,000 known species of frogs worldwide, each with its own habitat needs. Some frogs are endangered or threatened. Many states have laws that protect certain frog species or restrict how they can be handled and moved around. If you have questions about the identity of the frog population in your area, contact your state’s herpetology (reptile and amphibian) society.
- As frogs feed on insect pests found on plants, it is important to think about the long-term effects of repelling them. For example, if you use an insecticide to control mosquitoes but it kills frogs as well; this could result in increased mosquito populations as well as decreased food sources for birds and bats that prey on frogs.
These are the most effective methods to shut the frogs up:
Salt water spray
Salt water is deadly to frogs. In fact, salt water has been used for thousands of years as a deterrent and even as a weapon. If you have the time and inclination, you could drive around your neighborhood with a small barrel on your back that has a hose leading to it. The barrel is filled with salt water and when you hear frogs croaking; you spray them with the hose. Be careful not to spray cars or buildings because salt water will also destroy cars and buildings.
Drying out wet areas
Frogs need wet areas in order to breed and thrive. They need open bodies of water that are near to land so they can easily get onto land when it’s time to migrate or hunt for food. However, you can dry up their favorite wetlands by digging ditches around the edges that cause the waters to drain away gradually. You might also convince your neighbors to do the same on their property if you can show them how it will help eliminate frog noise complaints from everyone in your neighborhood.
Remove food sources of the frogs
Frogs need food in order to live and reproduce. They hunt at night so if you can remove their food source, they will eventually die off from starvation or move on to another pond where there is food available. The only way this would work is if there were no other ponds within miles of your location so that the frogs would have nowhere else to go. This could take months or even years before all the frogs died off but it would be worth it if it meant.
Decoys and predators scare frogs away
Some people swear by the “fake predator” method, which works by placing fake owls or snakes around your yard. These decoys will scare off the frogs by making them think a predator is nearby. Others say that using real predators like cats, snakes, herons, or hawks will get rid of frogs from your yard. In fact, some gardeners intentionally attract raptors to their yards to control the local frog population. If you’re interested in attracting birds of prey to your yard, check out these tips from Audubon Society on how to make your yard more bird-friendly.
Use vinegar to deter frogs
Vinegar is another substance which will kill frogs and other pests if they come in contact with it. You can use vinegar around your home, garden and yard to keep them away. Vinegar can be used as a spray repellent when mixed with water or it can be placed into dishes near your plants so that the smell will deter them from coming close enough to eat them. Vinegar is also an excellent weed killer but don’t use it on anything that might grow back up through the soil again like grass because it would die too.
Household Ammonia
Household ammonia is another remedy on how to get rid of frogs that are present around pools, ponds and damp areas in the garden or yard. Pour some ammonia in a spray bottle and spray it on the frog infested area.
Coffee Grounds
Sprinkling coffee grounds around ponds and other damp areas can also help get rid of frogs. The caffeine content in coffee grounds acts as a repellent against frogs.
Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon powder is another remedy to get rid of frogs from around pools, ponds and other damp areas in your yard. Sprinkle cinnamon powder around the area. Frogs will stay away from such areas because of the aromatic smell of cinnamon powder.
Use specialized chemicals
You can also use chemicals to remove frogs from your property. There are many chemicals on the market that will kill frogs and anything else that eats them. One of these is called “Round-Up.” It is made by Monsanto and is used by farmers all over the world to kill everything except for their crops. It is so effective at killing things that even Monsanto has had to put warning labels on it telling people not to drink it or apply it directly to their skin.
Light at night
Frogs are nocturnal, so they come out at night and make noise. One way to keep them away is by using light at night time. You can use spot lights or flood lights around your property and aim them toward areas where frogs like to hang out. The light will bother them and they won’t come back to those areas. Just be sure that you aim the lights down instead of straight out so they don’t bother your neighbors or other people walking by your property at night time.
Sound waves
You can also get rid of frogs using sound waves. There are several devices on the market that produce sound waves at frequencies that are painful to frogs but not harmful to humans or other animals (except maybe cats). The most common type of device produces a sound wave at around 3,000 Hz — which is unpleasant for humans to listen to as well, so you won’t want to stick around while it’s turned on.
Frog Relief Ultrasonic Repeller: This inexpensive device repels frogs by producing sound waves at frequencies between 2,000 and 3,000 Hz. It runs on a 9-volt battery (not included) or an AC adaptor (sold separately) and needs to be within 10 feet of the frog infestation area in order for it to work effectively.
Repellents
There are several commercial products that can be used to repel frogs from your property. These products contain natural ingredients that don’t harm the environment or the frogs — they just irritate their skin and make them want to move on to somewhere else. The two most common active ingredients in frog repellent products are citronella oil and sodium lauryl sulfate. Both are very safe for humans and other animals, although take precautions not to get it in your eyes while you’re applying it.
The most convenient way to apply these repellents is with a hose-end sprayer (like a Spray & Forget bottle). However, don’t use the same sprayer that you use for pesticides — use one that’s labeled “safe for pets” or “organic.” You’ll also need gloves and safety goggles while applying the repellent so that it doesn’t irritate your skin or eyes.
Summary
- The first thing that you need to do to make frogs shut up is to get rid of the insects. This is because frogs feed on these insects, so getting rid of them means the frogs will have nothing to eat.
- The second thing that you can do to make frogs shut up is to scare them away. One way of doing this is to use a broom or a stick and start hitting the ground near the frog. This will make the frog jump around and it might even jump away from your property.
- The third thing that you can do is to remove any standing water from your property. Standing water is like a magnet for frogs because they use it as a place where they can mate, lay eggs, and also hide from predators. If there are no puddles or ponds nearby, then the chances are high that there will be no frogs in your yard.
- The fourth thing that you can do is to trap some frogs by using nets or traps. You can buy these nets or traps at most home improvement stores, but they are usually quite expensive. If you don’t have enough money to spend on these traps, then you could always try making one yourself using chicken wire or some other type of mesh material.
- The fifth thing that you can do is to put up fences around the lawn and other areas where there are lots of frogs living. This way, you will keep them away from your property and make sure that they don’t get into any trouble.
- The last thing that you can do is to use chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides on the lawn. These chemicals will kill the frogs and other insects that are living in your lawn and around it.