# "Natural" way to kill frogs in Ponds?



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Alright I need some help from the pond experts here cause my FW experience ain't helping me here :lol:

In the back of our property there's a larger natural pond which houses all kinds animals and that's great; however the frog population there is EXPLODING to say the least and now that they are all awake from the winter time and "talking" the amount of frogs and the sounds they give of is literally deafening no joke :| You can't go anywhere near this place without either holding your ears shut or ear plugs its incredibly LOUD ...

Sooooo is there any way how I could reduce the amount of frogs there on a more 'natural' approach ???


----------



## TankMAster (Oct 16, 2009)

Introduce some predatory fish into the water. To kill the frogs you have to kill the babies. 

Introduce fish that eat tadpoles. Koi, Goldish or a whole lot of betta fish. Bettas are hardy and can survive almost anywhere. I guess you should get about 10 males and 20 females. It's going to cost a whole lot. There are a lot of snakes that eat frogs. The best option is to introduce predatory fish. Maybe Oscars? Arowanas? What fish are in the pond at the moment?

Good Luck!


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Life in the country......right now they are breeding and soon a lot of them will be at your house under the lights eating all the bugs that bug you...lol.....not all the frogs in the ponds are aquatic, some are toads, tree frogs etc....they are just at the pond to lay eggs and soon the pond will be full of tadpoles.....
You could fish out and kill the eggs to keep the population down.

I have a pond about 50ft from my front door and I rather enjoy the sound but I am used to it too, I like my frogs and they eats lots of bugs, I don't know of any natural way to rid them other than what has been suggested....embrace them and enjoy nature.......lol.....


----------



## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

TankMAster said:


> Introduce some predatory fish into the water. To kill the frogs you have to kill the babies.
> 
> Introduce fish that eat tadpoles. Koi, Goldish or a whole lot of betta fish. Bettas are hardy and can survive almost anywhere. I guess you should get about 10 males and 20 females. It's going to cost a whole lot. There are a lot of snakes that eat frogs. The best option is to introduce predatory fish. Maybe Oscars? Arowanas? What fish are in the pond at the moment?
> 
> Good Luck!


the original poster wished for something natural, and this would be exactly opposite.
personally i feel strongly against this topic. "Introducing" things to non-native areas is why we have the restrictions on the fish and aquarium plants we have today. this same concept occurs on the saltwater side too ( like lionfish being found in florida and algaes taking over the west coast ) 

adding something random throws off the cycle of things. you may not even realize it but these frogs are reproducing in large numbers prob. because food sources are abundant. take away the frogs and the more bugs you'll see. now add koi and a year from now what eats them? you cant have too much cheese, fix the problem by buying mice, then expect to fix that problem with cats.

not only whatever is added to "fix" the problem will be eating tadpoles and/or frogs but they could also eat the other wildlife and/or provide an abundant source of food for some other type of predator to reproduce like jack rabbits. think about it. if you added a few snakes for the situation and they have all these frogs to feed on, they to will be reproducing all over. they wont make noise like a frog but they could cause a nasty bite when attempting to enjoy this lake. i know i wouldnt want to meet a family of water mocs or copperheads :shock:

to sum it up, im not looking for an arguement rather hopefully a mature debate. incase your wondering who's this tree hugging hippie, thats not even my motivation for this education. yes, i could claim we are visitors to this earth and many were here before us and will be after us blah blah blah but really it comes down to the simple fact that this is my hobby which i enjoy ( as im sure many others ) and i would like to continue to enjoy and share it with others. 

so as for my natural way of getting rid of them, keep them there or put ear plugs in :-D


----------



## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Angel079 said:


> Alright I need some help from the pond experts here cause my FW experience ain't helping me here :lol:
> 
> In the back of our property there's a larger natural pond which houses all kinds animals and that's great; however the frog population there is EXPLODING to say the least and now that they are all awake from the winter time and "talking" the amount of frogs and the sounds they give of is literally deafening no joke :| You can't go anywhere near this place without either holding your ears shut or ear plugs its incredibly LOUD ...
> 
> Sooooo is there any way how I could reduce the amount of frogs there on a more 'natural' approach ???


 Introducing native fish such as Largemouth bass,Channel catfish, and Brim can reduce numbers through predation. Doesn't take long for other wildlife such as Skunks, possums,cyotes,foxes, hawks,owls,and larger frogs to realize when the picking is ripe so to speak and they too will reduce numbers. If there is a stream ,river,or larger lake nearby, this will be annual event (mating activity). 
Frog gigging when allowed by conservation dept. is also a way to reduce their numbers. Not much tastier that frog legs dipped in batter and deep fried.


----------



## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

1077 - i love the bass idea and after the population is in a good balance the fishing would be wonderful in a small pond as the OP describes... ahhhhhhh man i love spring.....
as for introducing fish that are not native to the area..... this is a really really bad idea not even talking expense but intrusive species are a hazard all over and introducing more will only make things worse


----------



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I don't think adding fish that are aquatic but not naturally occurring here in TB is a option for me. 

I love the sound too - If you're about 1,000ft away from the pond its not so mind blowing LOUD :lol: and they don't come to the house the pond is way too far away. 

And I got snakes here, black one's, gardener, copperheads, water mocs etc - That does not help it any - We have ALL kinds critters here, Skunks, racoon, mtn cats - you name it we got it here...just apparently they're not frog hungry - or not "enough" :-D

Hmmm how much room do bass really need cause this pond is not much bigger then about 40 to 35ft by about 25ft across so if anything added it would have to be something that'll do in this smaller sized pond there :| A least I'd *think* they're naturally here anyway if anything i ONLY wanna do or add something natural no "stray" fish, NOT going to poor no chems in there (as my dogs use this as a pool and Maxx play's with the lil frogs too)!

Its just really SO INCREDIBLY LOUD cause of the amount and if you walk up to / around the pond its like the whole sides of the pond "jump" int he water just covered with millions frogs. :roll:


----------



## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Angel079 said:


> I don't think adding fish that are aquatic but not naturally occurring here in TB is a option for me.
> 
> I love the sound too - If you're about 1,000ft away from the pond its not so mind blowing LOUD :lol: and they don't come to the house the pond is way too far away.
> 
> ...


 
I might check out the tracks around the edge of the pond. wildlife mentioned may be reducing the population more than you might think. In nature,animals are keenly aware of the times during the year that these free meals are abundant and they take advantage accordingly. 
I believe the noise will die down a little once the mating has begun.They often sound off to attract females. I would think it a bit early for mating but perhaps not.
In any event,I would gladly trade the bellowing of frogs and the sounds of country livin, for the roaring of tractor trailer trucks and automobiles that I hear each evening due to Interstate Highway not a half mile from my humble abode.
I fish nearly all year and truly enjoy the hours between midnight and dawn while setting on the river or lake. It is the only true and tranquil time in my otherwise all too hectic life.
I wouldn't mention this problem you are having around other hill folk lest they think you to be some sissified city gal. 
Just wait till the Locust's start calling!!:lol:


----------



## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

1077 said:


> In any event,I would gladly trade the bellowing of frogs and the sounds of country livin, for the roaring of tractor trailer trucks and automobiles that I hear each evening due to Interstate Highway not a half mile from my humble abode.
> 
> Just wait till the Locust's start calling!!:lol:


words of wisdom my friend. :notworthy:


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> words of wisdom my friend. :notworthy:


Agree tenfold!!

Trust me, I've seen pics of Angel's spread. We should all be so lucky to live on such a piece of land. Natalie, breath, embrace, and enjoy what you have. (If only we were all so lucky as you and OldFishLady) That and a nice pair of ear plugs at night for sleeping. Once mating season winds down all should be back to relative normal.


----------



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Tracks I seen there so far: Tons Deer (assuming drinking not hunting) some raccoons and the the usual squirrel / bird etc. 
I can however tell ya that night before last something attached some bird, there's a ton feathers up by the pond but no dead bird, so something ate it.

Last year it also started round April and lasted till mid summer about so they sure have one heck of a long mating season there :-D

@1077 Yea true its VERY country where I live; right now I hear & watch a ton of all colorful birds here, sometimes I hear chickens or cows and uhm yea that's about it for "noise" here :lol: but that's why I bought this house here I pref country of city life its better for the soul :-D I think you'd REALLY enjoy yourself out here on a vacation and I call it my life. Sit on the porch have a drink watch the firefly's, watch the deer eat around dawn...its nice. When you're hungry while out there you can gladly pick Blueberries, Raspberries etc got tons wild of those. Just the frogs are extremely loud :lol:

Kym you can gladly pack up and common out here for some country vacation I told you before you got a own bath & bedrm here :-D and if outdoors ain't enough - There's 6 tanks running in here :-D
I have done a LOT more out there the past 2 weeks as far as shrubs, flowers, trees - My neighbor seen the work done yesterday and her comment was "Its starting to look like the county park in your back yard" 

And for everyone else following this I actually accidentally scooped up a tadpole with the watering can yesterday (yes I use the pond water for my flowers in the back) and I couldn't bare the thought of it dieing on dry land so I took it back into the water so it got a fair chance of surviving - So much for sizing down the population :lol:


----------



## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Angel079 said:


> Kym you can gladly pack up and common out here for some country vacation I told you before you got a own bath & bedrm here :-D and if outdoors ain't enough - There's 6 tanks running in here :-D
> I have done a LOT more out there the past 2 weeks as far as shrubs, flowers, trees - My neighbor seen the work done yesterday and her comment was "Its starting to look like the county park in your back yard"
> 
> And for everyone else following this I actually accidentally scooped up a tadpole with the watering can yesterday (yes I use the pond water for my flowers in the back) and I couldn't bare the thought of it dieing on dry land so I took it back into the water so it got a fair chance of surviving - So much for sizing down the population :lol:


I knew it! You're such a softy, saving that tadpole!! 

The invite extends both ways: When you need a beach vacation you've got your own bed & bath right here! I live less than a mile from the ocean, multiple lagoon nature preserves, tide pools and some of the best surfing breaks in Southern California. It's pretty fantastic here, if I do say so myself.


----------



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

You're so sweet, thank you


----------



## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

Angel079;355555
And for everyone else following this I actually accidentally scooped up a tadpole with the watering can yesterday (yes I use the pond water for my flowers in the back) and I couldn't bare the thought of it dieing on dry land so I took it back into the water so it got a fair chance of surviving - So much for sizing down the population :lol:[/quote said:


> that's because you have a heart.


----------



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Well now to my surprise evidently the black snakes & copper heads are out earlier this year then usual as I met both kinds being out back yesterday (and I have a baaaddd feeling about a copperhead nest back there) so THAT should do for a "natural" way with the frogs. The black snake go relocated to around the pond area at least; the copperheads I didn't wanna touch lol.


----------



## fryup (Jan 12, 2010)

your all so lucky were you live calafornia !!!!!!....i live slap bang in the centre of england (UK) no ponds for me no beach just .......vroom, BEEP!!!!


----------



## Bluebirdnanny (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm in such an environment too! It is wonderful and I love the sounds of the amphibians! Note though....if you reduce the population by taking care of the spawn then there will be more room for others to come breed!!

There is a decline in some areas and studies being done on frogs, toads etc.....protection is being considered so check the local regulations before doing such.


----------



## Garfisher (Oct 7, 2010)

"Hmmm how much room do bass really need cause this pond is not much bigger then about 40 to 35ft by about 25ft across so if anything added it would have to be something that'll do in this smaller sized pond there :neutral:"
They do need some room, very large bass can approach 30" (up here the max is a little over 24", but down there they can easily get larger). Depending on what size you introduce the bass determines really how much you can put in (there will be fish that will die from predation or natural causes), but overall i wouldn't have more than 5 large bass in there (20"+) to give the fish room. Bass will eat frogs, but add minnows so that they have a different food source (in case they arent getting too many frogs). Adding floating vegetation or objects that go to the surface should help draw frogs out into the pond, making it easier for the bass to get them (if the edges are relatively shallow and unaccessible for bass)


----------



## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Snakeheads and wolffishs would be the cool solution. NOTHING would go in the pond.


----------



## Garfisher (Oct 7, 2010)

only problem is that the snakehead is banned in the US due to people releasing them


----------



## MukiTheFish (Aug 21, 2010)

Angel079 said:


> Alright I need some help from the pond experts here cause my FW experience ain't helping me here :lol:
> 
> In the back of our property there's a larger natural pond which houses all kinds animals and that's great; however the frog population there is EXPLODING to say the least and now that they are all awake from the winter time and "talking" the amount of frogs and the sounds they give of is literally deafening no joke :| You can't go anywhere near this place without either holding your ears shut or ear plugs its incredibly LOUD ...
> 
> Sooooo is there any way how I could reduce the amount of frogs there on a more 'natural' approach ???


Pollywog does not approve


----------



## Garfisher (Oct 7, 2010)

no its "all your base are belong to us":lol:


----------



## RandyTX (Dec 28, 2010)

The best way to control a species is to control the food. Consider what you have so much of that the frogs are doing so well. I'd like to hear back on that subject. In time the preditiors wil blanace the prey, and your frog problem should fix itself unless there is some reason the food source for the frogs is being maintained in an unnatural way.


----------

