9 Ways To Stop Frogs From Croaking (And Get Them To Shut Up)
In many people’s idealistic thoughts of living in tune with nature, they often imagine birds chirping, dogs barking, and frogs croaking. This, however, can get old quickly, especially if you have hundreds of frogs croaking all night long.
Frogs generally croak as a mating call to other frogs. To prevent frogs from croaking and get them to shut up, one tactic is to spray saltwater around your property which makes them uncomfortable. You can also remove their sources of shelter and make loud noises to disturb their croaking.
Read on to learn more about what causes frogs to accumulate, what causes them to croak, and how you can stop them from doing both!
What Causes Frogs to Accumulate in an Area
Primarily, frog ‘infestations’ can hint at a few things on your property, such as insect or water imbalances. Frogs usually will only inhabit places with large insect populations and lots of water, so these factors will usually attract them to you.
With this, what are some of the major factors that can cause frogs to be attracted to your area?
Abundance Of Water
Water is one of the biggest factors for frogs. Because they are amphibious, they require water to have healthy skin and respiratory systems, which are a necessity to live. This means frogs are usually strongly attracted to areas with water, as those areas support their specific biological needs.
An abundance of frogs can point to issues with water retention and management around your property.
Insect Population
Frogs can also mean you simply have lots of insects in your yard. Frogs are insectivores (primarily eat insects), so they usually flock to areas with high insect populations, to ensure they have food to eat for a long time.
However, this does not apply to all insects. It depends on what frogs are in your yard and their specific diets.
Finding a way to lower some of your insect population naturally may also lower the population of frogs in your area, thus lessening the amount of croaking you hear.
If you’re interested in learning more about why you have frogs nearby, you can read our guide: Places Where Frogs Live, Sleep, and Hibernate.
What Do Frogs Eat?
Normally, frogs eat a wide variety of common insects. While this can vary depending on the type of frog and location, some common insects frogs like are mealworms, crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and worms.
Insects
In general, frogs are simply like insects. They are a simple form of food capable of keeping frogs happy and healthy. With this, having a healthy yard normally means that you have lots of animal and insect life.
Having a lot of biodiversity can attract frogs to eat, which may be one reason they seem to flock to your yard.
Shrimp, Mice & Other Frogs
In some cases, frogs can also eat other types of food or animals. This is especially true for larger frogs able to eat bigger prey.
Some examples of bigger things frogs can eat are small mice, other small frogs, shrimp, and other medium-small-sized animals.
What Causes Frogs to Croak?
Frogs often croak to kick off their reproductive cycle. Usually, male frogs will croak loudly after it has rained in the area. This usually causes females to flock and croak as well, which explains the loud croaking you hear during the warm, wet months of the year.
Reproductive Croaking
As mentioned, frogs will croak for reproductive reasons. The loud male croaking alerts local female frogs to the optimal mating conditions. The females will then come to the area, while making noise, to mate.
Shortly after mating, the female frog will lay eggs in the area, and both can often stay to protect the eggs.
When Do Frogs Choose to Reproduce?
Normally, the male frogs croak after it has rained or when it is warm and humid outside. This is because rain and humidity create the optimal conditions for maintaining frog eggs.
Since frogs and their eggs are amphibious, they require ambient water to stay hydrated and healthy. Without this, frogs may become uncomfortable, and eggs can even dry out and sustain damage.
Rain and humidity ensure a female’s eggs will be hydrated and healthy, which may be one reason male frogs choose to croak after a light rain.
Frogs Croak Due To Danger
If the croaking is occurring at odd times and it seems random, it may be a call of distress rather than a mating call. You can often tell apart the different types of croaking by how loud or hurried it sounds. Frogs usually croak faster and louder if they are in danger.
Danger croaks can often be very loud, as multiple frogs may emit them at once, creating a swathe of sound traveling through the area. As more frogs hear the croaking, they may also join in, adding to the volume of the sound.
On the bright side, danger croaking is usually short-lived, as danger comes and goes within an area. You should not have to worry about danger calls sticking around for a while.
Frogs Croak Because Of Ponds And Lakes
Male frogs may also croak if they find a body of water, such as a pond, a lake, or a puddle. This can connect to reproduction since frogs and their eggs require some standing water.
If you’re looking for more information as to why frogs croak at night, you can read our article: 10 Reasons Why Frogs Croak At Night.
How To Make Frogs Stop Croaking
Now that you know some reasons and conditions causing frogs to flock to your area, we can discuss different methods to get them to stop croaking.
Listed below are some methods to stop frogs from croaking. It is good to keep in mind that some of these methods reduce the likelihood of croaking, while others simply repel the frogs from your area. Choose the best option (s) for you and your needs.
Salt Water Spray Can Keep Frogs Away
Many people claim that using salt can help you repel frogs from the area. By using salt, you are reducing the amount of water in the area, thus reducing the number of frogs.
Frogs also dislike standing on or near salt because it dries out their skin and makes them uncomfortable.
This method is pretty fail-proof and can cause frogs to leave, which will lower the chances of you hearing them croak.
There are a few methods of using salt. You can create saltwater by dissolving salt in a large container of water. After making this, you can then spray or drip the saltwater on the areas where you want to repel frogs.
If you do not want to create saltwater, you can also simply leave out the salt granules in areas you do not want frogs to stand.
Drying Out Wet Areas Makes Frogs Run For The Swamp
As mentioned, frogs love damp areas because it keeps their skin healthy and hydrated. In addition, these spaces also provide the optimal environment for frog eggs and mating, meaning having lots of wet areas can enable frogs to croak more often.
Actively drying our wet spots near your house, such as on your porch or near your garage, can prevent frogs from accumulating and croaking as often.
To dry out wet areas, you can try to remove water manually by using towels or shop vacs.
Use Vinegar To Deter Frogs
Similar to saltwater, vinegar is another great option to repel frogs from your area. Vinegar creates a burning and drying sensation on the frog’s feet, which normally makes them leave and avoid the area in the future.
To use vinegar as a repellent, most people recommend diluting it with some water. This is a great option to maintain safety while using it, and it can save you money!
After diluting your vinegar, you can then spray it around the areas where you want to repel frogs. As a bonus, if you are trying to repel frogs from an area like a deck or garage, you can regularly clean the area with vinegar to prevent their return.
Vinegar can be harsh on living things, so you should be careful when using it around plants and landscaping elements!
Remove Insect Populations To Repel Frogs
If you are in an area with high insect populations that are attracting frogs, you can try to repel them by removing the insects to start.
In theory, by removing or declining the local insect populations, you will remove most of the food source for frogs, making them go elsewhere in search of food.
One thing you can try to lower the insect population is to introduce some natural predators. Some natural insect predators include beetles, wasps, mice, etc. If these predators can compete with frogs for insects to it, the frogs will most likely leave.
You should, however, look into your area and only introduce natural predators which will not dominate. Doing otherwise could affect the health of your local ecosystems.
You can also try to repel insects by using powerful scents like citronella, mint, or lemon.
Either way, the main thing to think about is the impact of the frog’s food source to get them to leave the area.
Decoys And Predators Scare Frogs Away
Another common method for getting frogs to stop croaking is by using decoys. Decoys are fake versions of animals that are natural predators. Some common decoys used are birds, snakes, and spiders.
Using decoys normally scares the frogs, making them think there are predators in the area. If you wish to keep the frogs around (and you just want them quiet), using a decoy can be a great option, as it usually causes them to only be quieter.
Some natural predators to frogs include spiders, snakes, and birds, which can all be found as decoys.
Making Loud Noises Keeps Your Frog Problem At Bay
One of the simplest and most effective ways to get frogs to stop croaking is to make loud and abrasive noises.
Creating loud noises normally scares the frogs, or makes them think there is danger nearby. This usually causes them to stay still and quiet.
While you can simply yell or stomp your feet, there are also ways you can make handheld noisemakers. One great example is an empty tin can with nails inside. If you shake the can, it creates a loud rattling noise which can scare the frogs.
If you are looking for a more technological approach, the ZOVENCHI Ultrasonic Animal Pest Repellent may be just what you need. It is solar powered and motion sensor activated, so you can set it and forget it. This device also emits light, which can frighten the frogs as well.
I’m overall not the absolute biggest fan of ultrasonic repellents due to their inefficiencies but, they may work in your situation and are worth a shot.
Remove Shelter To Deter Frogs
Removing shelter is another simple way that you can get frogs to go away.
When you remove their shelter, frogs feel uncomfortable and will often leave the area.
Common areas of shelter include fallen debris, leaves, branches, and bodies of water. Normally this option can leave your yard looking a little barren or impact other local wildlife, so it is not the most popular.
Citric Acid Can Repel Frogs
Spreading citric acid around your house can also repel frogs. Citric acid affects the frog’s skin, causing them to feel uncomfortable and leave the area.
There is a calcium carbonate and citric acid pest repellent, First Saturday Lime, on the market. It not only contains the citric acid to make frogs uncomfortable, but will decrease the surrounding insect population. A win-win situation if you are trying to repel frogs!
Using citric acid is often a popular option, as it is natural and normally harmless to most wildlife.
Coffee Grounds And Other Dry Materials Can Get Rid Of Frogs
One last option you can use to repel frogs to make them stop croaking is by using coffee grounds or other dry and uncomfortable material. Similar to some of the other methods, coffee grounds can dry out the frog’s skin and make them want to leave.
By implementing methods such as this, you can safely repel the frogs and cause them to stop croaking while also maintaining the safety and health of your local ecosystems.
Things To Think About When Preventing Frogs From Croaking
While there are many methods you may use to repel frogs or get them to stop croaking, there are also a few things you should keep in mind when doing so.
Maintaining Your Local Ecosystem
One of the biggest things to think about when trying to repel animals is maintaining the health and safety of your local ecosystems. When you mess with the natural order and population of creatures in your area, it can affect many things along the food chain, which can lower the health of the ecosystem.
In addition, some of these methods use irritating things like vinegar or predators, which can also affect local wildlife.
Affects On Ecosystem Feeding Population
Similar to maintaining the health of your ecosystems, as insects act as a supply of food for frogs, frogs also act as a supply of food for larger animals. In trying to remove frogs from your area, you could cause larger animals who are already scarce on food to have an even harder time.
That’s A Wrap!
In the end, frog croaking can be one of the loudest and most irritating sounds around your house, especially when large groups of frogs accumulate in one area. There are a few major reasons frogs do this, which include mating, communication, and local food supplies.
However, you should not worry because, after mating, frogs will normally return to being quiet. The experience should be short.
If you truly want to get the frogs to stop croaking, there are some common methods you can use to repel or scare them. These include using decoys, loud noises, citric acid, saltwater, and vinegar.
In using these methods, you normally will make the frogs uncomfortable or frightened, which is a thing to keep in mind. When using these methods, you should also consider the health and balance of your local ecosystems.
References
Fisher, M. C. (2009). Silent Springs: Why Are All the Frogs “Croaking”?
Meeusen, M. (2015). A Note on Croaking Frogs: Plu. QN 2.912 C. Mnemosyne, 68(1), 115-120
Berry, M. V., & Geim, A. K. (1997). Of flying frogs and levitrons. European Journal of Physics, 18(4), 307
Franzisket, L. (1963). Characteristics of instinctive behaviour and learning in reflex activity of the frog. Animal Behaviour, 11(2-3), 318-324
Zack is a Nature & Wildlife specialist based in Upstate, NY, and is the founder of his Tree Journey and Pest Pointers brands. He has a vast experience with nature while living and growing up on 50+ acres of fields, woodlands, and a freshwater bass pond. Zack has encountered many pest situations over the years and has spent his time maintaining and planting over 35 species of trees since his youth with his family on their property.
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