How do I repel toads

[JoaniePA]

I know everyone wants toads and frogs in their pond, and I am well educated on the decline of amphibians in our area. I don't use Roundup or any other chemicals in our yard because I know that while they say they are safe for wildlife, they are NOT safe for amphibians. So I get it.. I do. But last year in the spring we captured and relocated dozens and dozens of American toads from our 1100 gallon pond, and we could not get them all! We stopped counting when we hit two transports of 30 toads each. And yes, we took them to a large natural pond over three miles away. We had strings of toad eggs everywhere from April through June, and the noise was deafening.. so much so that our neighbors two doors up complained about not being able to sleep. I love the frogs, and a toad pair or two is welcome, but the plague of toads we had last year drove the frogs away, tore up the plants, and jellied up the water so that the pond was a big mess. We'd like to avoid that this year. Does anyone have any ideas at all for toad control?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Do you have fish in your pond? I know my fish will eat the tadpoles.

 

[Mmathis]

Do you have fish in your pond? I know my fish will eat the tadpoles.

I wish I had an answer. I am coming up on my 3rd season with our pond and we've had various frogs/toads come to visit. The first 2 years, each year was different with different types and numbers of visitors. Lots of toad eggs & tadpoles, but actually very few adult toads. And we have 2 or 3 Spotted Leopard frogs that stay all year [they over-winter under the liner!], but have never seen any frog eggs during this time. One of the Leopards is getting pretty big.

My guess is that my fish and the resident Spotted Leopards are keeping toad populations under control!

 

[addy1]

I see tons of toad eggs, lots of baby toads hopping away, but never a lot of adults. The pond usually just has frogs in it after the toads do their mating dance. Toads here and there in the yard but not a lot. The spring peepers are a lot noisier than than the toads, our woods are full of them, they come to the pond to do the mating dance then back to the woods. Now and then one ends up living on the deck, now that is noisy.

 

[morewater]

Scoop the eggs and plant them in the garden. Maybe you'll be able to grow toadstools.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Toads have the worst mating call of all (i like it, but wouldn't want it right outside my house). They're even louder than chorus frogs. I'm also hoping toads never choose to breed in my pond. I'm not sure how to solve that problem. Sounds like they enjoy your environment.

 

[brokensword]

ah, get a snake. I hear bullfrogs will eat almost anything, course that would include your fish too.

 

[taherrmann4]

When I first built my pond I had lots of frogs, but after getting my fish and koi the frog population declined as the fish population increased. I have about 1/2 dozen at my pond each year and they aren't very noisy. Do you have fish in your pond?

 

[adavisus]

If you dig a deep bucket into the ground so the rim is level with the dirt, you have a pit trap

Set out a critter barrier around the pond so the pit trap is the only gap for toads to come and gooooo

Eventually you will deplete the number of toads coming to the pond...

Regards, andy
http://swglist.wordpress.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[Dave 54]

To put it quite simply sadly there is nothing you can do frogs and toads like salmon imprint on the pond they are born in and will come back year on year
Here in the UK toads are in decline so there are Toad Watch volunteers that collect them from roads and inacsesable places to transport them to the nearest pond by bucket .
Thhe only thing you could do is cover the pond with a net with 5mm hexagonal openings so as they cannot get intohe water then catch them and take them to the natural pond by hand but in doing this you stop frogs from laying eggs too.
Shy of euthanizing the toads I dont know what else you can do apart from suggest your neighbour use ear plugs during the mating season, how you do that I dont know ?
Val askes how long have you had the pond how many years you have had toad song and why is it only now the neighbour is complaining (are they new to the area)?
Sadly there are people like them that forget that his or her house was more than probably built where these toads have their natural habitat as such they should either like it or lump it
We have sad rich folk who think it great to buy a house in a country village then when the cock crows at 04:30 am every morning or the church bells ring on Sunday morning they complain it is spoiling their sleep or the manure in the farm next to the village is smelling.:LOL very sad but true
Perhap's you should employ them into catching these toads , it is after all "they that are complaining" not your next door neighbour which wefind very strange dont you ???
If you have a local toad watch as I mentioned we have in the UK , you could get them to help you collect toads as they near your pond
Another suggestion would be to net out all the toad eggs and either spread them on the lawn to dry out or transport the eggs by bucket to the nearest large body of water perhaps you could also contact the ASPCA your equivulent of the RSPCA for help and afvice on this matter as they may know of a toad watch organisation or perhaps you start a group up of well meaning folk to help and relocate the toads as they head for yours and others ponds
I would suggest you take them further away than the three miles perhaps twenty would be better, going off the rate of travel the cane toad does in Australia per day of around three miles daily

Dave

 

[JoaniePA]

THank you for all your responses! This is the fifth summer for our pond. It had about 3 dozen fish in it last summer, but I have given away all but about a dozen since then. The fish do not eat the eggs, or the toads. I've heard that toad eggs are not tasty to them, so I'm guessing that won't be part of the solution. The toads first arrived two years ago - maybe two or three pairs. Last spring there were, as I said, bucketsful. I suspect it's partly due to a neighbor about a quarter mile away who had large ponds and who drained them all to rebuild them. Then there was a huge construction job in the acres behind our house and perhaps the wildlife was displaced due to that as well. I scooped out as many eggs as I could, buckets and buckets, but they actually make a terrible mess in the gardens.. drying into a tough sheet like plastic that kills whatever is under it. As was suggested, I suspect the tads that were fostered are now adults and are returning to their birthplace. I have been around spring peepers, and coqui frogs in Hawaii which are now targeted for noise pollution. The sheer numbers of these toads makes them louder than either. I saw the baby toads around the rocks last summer and fall, so I'm pretty sure that they'll be trilling in a week or so. I think I may try the netting idea. The frogs, if there are any, haven't come up from the bottom yet so if they're trapped they'll be inside the net rather than outside of it. Anyhow, I'll let y'all know what happens!

Joanie

 

[Mmathis]

Next time you find eggs, scoop them out and relocate them to a nearby body of water instead of just draining the water into your yard. At least they'd have a chance at survival, and wouldn't imprint on your pond.

I actually gave some tadpoles away last summer. A couple of the boys in our Scout troop are working on the REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN Merit Badge, and one of the requirements is observing an animal for a period of time.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I always look forward to the frogs coming back to the pond in the spring. One of the first ways I know they are back is when I hear them outside my bedroom window at night. I actually enjoy hearing them (of course there are not a huge number of them)

I even bought a floating log and silk lily pads for them to get up on to get out of the water.

I will be interested to see if the net works for you. I have my pond netted and still manage to have five or six frogs show up at breeding time (and get into the pond)

 

[Fishylove]

ah, get a snake. I hear bullfrogs will eat almost anything, course that would include your fish too.

Most certainly true brokensword. Bullfrogs will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. Joanne your fish should be taking care ofaany eggs. If not, I have rosey minnows too and they help alot with mosquito larvae and eggs too. Although the frogs will sometimes eat the minnows if the can catch them. But theyre cheap enough.

 

[Dave 54]

Joanie there is your answer the construction company has displaced them , in the UK they have to rehome them to a new site befor construction can comence check to see if there are any bits of legislation that states this construction company had to do the same because in the UK hey can be find large sums of money for this

Dave