8 Easy Ways to Keep Frogs Away From Your House

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Hearing a frog croaking away in the night might seem like a welcoming feeling at first. However, it doesn’t take long before the sheen goes away, and you are looking at different methods to get rid of these pesky creatures.

It doesn’t take long before the voices start to multiply, and before you know it, the entire exterior of your property will be filled with a chorus of croaking sounds. Obviously, trying to sleep with this noise is going to pose a challenge in itself.

As time will tell you, getting rid of frogs is much easier said than done. Many people fail to figure out the best way to deal with this problem, and have no choice but to resort to killing them.

Needless to say, this is a terrible idea. There are a whole bunch of humane methods that you can use to keep the frogs away from your house.

The population of frogs is considerably high, so even if you are able to kill quite a few off your property, it won’t take long before others are attracted to your property. If you are under the impression that you can kill all the frogs in your area, you might want to think again.

To get rid of the frogs around your house, the first step you need to take is to understand why they are attracted in the first place. Frogs are amphibians, so they usually prefer a combination of water and soil.

They are probably going to take refuge in your garden because it is such a convenient place and well-protected, and if there is running water nearby, or a pond, they are going to lay eggs as well.

There are several steps that you can take to keep frogs away from your house. Here are some simple tips to ensure that frogs don’t populate your property so easily.

1 – Turning Off the Lights

You might have noticed that flying insects like to swarm around the lights by your house. If the windows are closed, you can just peer outside and you’ll see insects such as flies and mosquitoes buzzing around outside.

If you have lights installed outdoors, you will notice these insects buzzing around there too. Now, which animal loves to feast on these insects? Of course, a frog!

It won’t take long for a frog to figure out that it can find a consistent supply of insect meat if it just stays near the light. In most cases, frogs have to forage for food and insects on the ground, so finding a consistent supply of food without going anywhere is obviously a boon for the amphibian.

Within a few days, you will have a bunch of frogs close to the outdoor lights installed on your property. Insects are automatically drawn to the light, and they are going to serve up as a fantastic frog dinner every night.

So, how do you deal with this problem? You simply turn off the lights! By keeping the outdoor lights off, you are essentially making sure that the food supply for the frogs is cut off.

When that happens, the animal might begin to look for other places. If there is a light on anywhere on the street, they might venture there, thus leaving your property alone.

Keeping the lights off at night also has another advantage: it saves a great deal of energy. You can now buy motion sensor outdoor lights from multiple places as well.

These lights will turn on whenever you open the door to go inside, thus saving a great deal of energy and making sure that you don’t have to worry about frogs.

2 – Proper Water Drainage

Another thing that you need to know about frogs is that they require a considerable amount of water to remain alive. Without water, these animals are not going to be able to live, much less reproduce.

Frogs lay their eggs in water, and these tadpoles hatch under the water only and then swim to the surface. Without a steady supply of water, frogs won’t be interested in your property.

These are amphibious creatures, so while they do come on land, they usually prefer going back into the water after a little bit of time. So, the next step that you need to take is to cut off their water supply.

If you have any spots on your property where water tends to pool up and usually stays for longer periods of time, you might want to take remedial steps to deal with the situation.

Moreover, if you have a pond on the property, it might be a wise idea to drain it out when you are not using it for a while. Obviously, if you have spent a considerable amount of money in maintaining the pond and it serves as an outdoor decoration, you might not want to drain it out.

Many people also have fish in their ponds, so siphoning all of the water out isn’t a real possibility.

Instead, what you can do is buy a mesh that is designed to be frog-proof and lay it over the pond. It’s a pretty simple step that is going to help you keep these animals at bay.

If you have a pool in your yard, see my tips on keeping frogs out of a swimming pool.

3 – Clean up the Garden or the Yard

By now, you might have realized that all of the steps here follow a similar theme: they are all designed to make your place as inhospitable as possible for the frogs.

If you have lots of grass and tall weeds in the yard, it’s probably going to attract frogs to your property. The reason for that is simple: they find it much more secure.

The frogs remain hidden in between the shrubs and the greenery. By making sure that your garden is properly weeded and the grass is mowed, you will be able to get rid of all the hiding places that the frogs so prefer. Be sure to check your egress windows for frogs as well.

You don’t have to worry about frogs sitting right in the middle of the garden or your yard, after all. Once the frogs realize that the place does not offer any real security, they are automatically going to move away.

When they want to lay eggs, frogs generally look for discreet places where they are not going to be disturbed. They try to make sure that they find secluded spots, and if they can’t find one in your garden, you don’t have much to worry about.

Now, the problem here is that many people don’t know much about taking care of their yard. They are unable to find the time to mow their lawn on a consistent basis, and it doesn’t take long before the garden is full of weeds.

If you are unable to take out the time to work on the garden and keep it clean, you should consider hiring a local landscaping company. There are quite a few landscaping tips that will help you simplify the garden maintenance and management.

You can also get in touch with a local landscaping company and they will send over a gardener to your place to regularly clean it up.

4 – Getting Rid of the Tadpoles

As mentioned above, frogs generally lay eggs once they find a suitable, secluded spot. If you are giving them a spot on your property, it won’t take long before they are ready to settle down.

If you have a swimming pool or a pond on your property, the frogs are probably going to lay eggs there. The thing about frogs is that they tend to lay around thousands of eggs in one go.

When these eggs hatch, the tadpoles simply swim up to the surface, and then they grow into frogs. However, you have to take action before this reproductive cycle reaches completion.

To break the cycle, you need to get rid of all the tadpoles. It might seem a bit harsh, but this is critically important. All you need is a thin net, usually one designed for aquarium fish, and then use it to scoop out all of the tadpoles.

Now, you have to choose one of two options: you can either move all of these tadpoles to a corner of the local lake or a pond far away from your house, or you can just put it under the sun.

The heat of the sun coupled with the dryness is going to get rid of them within a day. Now, as mentioned earlier, this might seem like a horrible step to take.

But, you have to understand that frogs lay thousands of eggs in one instance, so it’s not like you are making a significant dent in the frog population. If you want to get rid of the frogs, this is a pretty effective method.

5 – Using Bleach Spray

Another fantastic method that you can use to get rid of frogs from your property is to use bleach spray. Bleach spray is a bit risky and you have to wear a mask and gloves before you decide to use it on your own.

Making the bleach spray isn’t a problem either. All you need is a bit of bleach, and then add it in a bit of water. You have to dilute the bleach in water before you spray it on your property.

Keep in mind that bleach is poisonous to these amphibians, so once they smell it, they are going to stay far away. Spraying the bleach on your plants is not a wise idea, especially if you haven’t properly diluted it.

It’s recommended that you spray your porch and your windows, as well as the exterior of the property. If you want, you can dilute the mixture by a considerable margin and then spray it on the plants as well.

6 – Using Salt

Frogs are amphibians, which means they have wet skin. They do not like salt on their skin, so sprinkling a bit of it around your property, especially on the edge of your fencing or under the shrubs, is a wise idea.

You can also spread the salt around a pond or the waterway if you want. However, if you are going to be sprinkling the salt around your plants, it’s important to exercise a bit of caution.

There is a risk that certain plants might succumb to damage or even a premature death if you are not careful.

7 – Using Coffee Grounds

Another fantastic method that you can use is coffee grounds. Coffee grounds affect the frog’s skin in a very similar way that salt does. It causes an unpleasant feeling and they actively avoid coffee grounds.

If you use a coffee maker, all you have to do is to sprinkle these coffee grounds around your property. Not only do they give off an excellent smell, but the coffee grounds are also going to help you get rid of these frogs.

8 – Vinegar Spray

Another effective method to get rid of frogs from your property is to use vinegar spray. You can mix vinegar and water in equal parts and then spray it around the property.

When spraying this mixture, be extra careful to cover spots where you have seen these animals congregate. The vinegar spray is going to burn the feet of the frogs, so they are going to generally stay away from your property.

It’s a pretty simple and effective method that works wonders. More importantly, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on it.

Another thing to do is use lemon juice spray, as it not only causes an unpleasant feeling, but the frogs don’t like the smell of lemon juice either. Make sure you use only natural lemon juice, as the synthetic one doesn’t work.

If you are not able to get enough time or are usually busy, the last option available to you is to call a local pest control company. These professionals will visit your property and look for frogs, and then remove them from your property in one go only!

Getting Rid of Frogs

If you want to get rid of the frog population on your property, there are a series of steps that you need to take. First of all, you have to identify the kind of frog species that is found on your property. There are some common species that are invasive and ones that you are legally allowed to kill as well.

Bullfrogs, for instance, are generally quite common throughout the country. They also contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases and have led to the direct extinction of more than a 100 other frog species.

Then, you have the cane toads. These are toads (there’s a difference!), although many people classify them in the same manner. Cuban tree frogs are also commonly found, and they need to be taken care of too.

If you are planning to get rid of the frogs, the second thing you have to do is check the laws in your region. There are many laws related to frogs, and in many parts of the world, you are simply not allowed to kill noninvasive frog species.

But, there are a few species that are incredibly invasive. In fact, there are strict rules associated with the release of these invasive species in the wild as well.

If you are not sure about the kind of frog species on your property, it would be a wise idea to take a picture and just send it to the local Wildlife Authority in your area. They will identify it for you and refer you to the laws associated with that species.

Then, if you have pets in your house, you need to start off by taking away the pet food. Pet food is a common attractant and brings quite a few wild animals to your property.

They are drawn to the smell, mainly because pet food is engineered to be delicious. If you don’t think twice about the bowl of food that your cat or your dog left outdoors, you might want to amend your ways.

The best thing to do is to start feeding your animal at specific times. Make sure that once the pet is fed, you take away the food bowl so that the animal also knows when it is time for the food.

Then, you can introduce a few frog repellents. For instance, natural predators such as cats like to feast on frogs. There are a few types of snakes that like to feast on frogs as well.

However, you might want to check whether the type of frog on your property is poisonous or not. There are certain kinds of frogs that are poisonous, so risking your cat is not a wise idea.

You can also use a net to physically remove all the frogs from your property. It’s best to put them in a net and take them to a far-off location instead of taking an inhumane approach. This is a wise way to deal with the problem.

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