How to Keep Frogs Away From Your Backyard and Garden, Humanely
A few frogs in the garden are usually good news. They eat slugs, beetles and mosquitoes, and they only thrive where the environment is healthy. But a chorus outside the bedroom window every night, frogs in the pool, or toads that your dog keeps picking up can become a real problem.
The good news is that you rarely need to harm frogs to keep them away. They come to a yard for three things: water, food and shelter. Take those away, and most frogs will move on by themselves.
First, find out what you are dealing with
Before you do anything, it helps to know which species are visiting.
Native frogs and toads are protected in many states and countries, and some are in decline. Moving or killing them can be illegal, so the methods below focus on making your yard less attractive rather than removing animals.
Invasive species are a different matter. Cane toads in Florida, Hawaii and Australia and coqui frogs in Hawaii are harmful to local wildlife, and cane toads are toxic to dogs and cats. Your local wildlife agency or extension office can tell you how these species are managed in your area.
If you are not sure what you have, a photo and a quick call to the local extension office will usually give you an answer.
1. Remove standing water
Water is the main reason frogs show up, especially in spring and summer when they breed. Walk around your yard after a rain and look for anything that holds water:
Plant saucers, buckets, wheelbarrows and children's toys
Clogged gutters and downspouts that overflow into puddles
Low spots in the lawn where water collects
Unused fountains, birdbaths and kiddie pools
Empty them, turn them over or store them under cover. Fixing drainage in low areas, for example by regrading or adding a gravel trench, helps for good. Removing standing water also cuts down on mosquitoes, which is one of the main things frogs come to eat.
2. Make your lights less attractive to insects
Frogs gather where food is easy, and porch lights are an insect magnet. Every moth and beetle that circles a bright bulb is a meal for a frog waiting below.
Turn outdoor lights off when you do not need them.
Switch to warm yellow or amber LED bulbs, which attract far fewer insects than cool white ones.
Use motion-sensor fixtures so lights are on only briefly.
3. Take away hiding places
During the day, frogs and toads shelter somewhere cool and damp. Make the yard less comfortable for them:
Keep the lawn mowed and trim tall grass along fences and foundations.
Clear piles of leaves, boards, bricks and other debris.
Move firewood and compost away from the house and patio.
Thin out dense ground cover next to doors, steps and the pool.
4. Manage ponds and water features
If you have a pond, you cannot remove the water, but you can make it less inviting for breeding. Frogs prefer still, shallow water with plenty of vegetation around the edges. A pump, fountain or waterfall that keeps water moving, and fewer plants along the margins, make a pond less attractive to them.
For pools, keep the cover on whenever the pool is not in use, and run the filter and skimmer regularly. A frog escape ramp, sold for a few dollars, lets frogs that do fall in climb out rather than drowning in the skimmer.
5. Put up a barrier where it matters
If frogs keep coming from a neighboring pond or wetland, a barrier along that side of the yard can stop most of them. Use fine mesh or solid garden edging at least 2 feet high, and bury the bottom edge a few inches into the soil so frogs cannot squeeze underneath. Tree frogs can climb, so a barrier will not stop every species, but it works well for toads and ground-dwelling frogs.
6. Relocate gently, if it is legal
Where local rules allow it, you can catch a frog or toad with a container or with damp gloves and release it at the edge of a nearby pond or wetland, ideally within a few hundred yards of where you found it. Never use bare hands that have sunscreen or insect repellent on them, as frogs absorb chemicals through their skin.
Relocating frogs only helps if you have also removed what drew them in. Otherwise new ones will simply take their place.
What not to use
Many home remedies passed around online cause more harm than they solve.
Salt kills frogs and damages soil and plants.
Bleach, vinegar and citric acid sprays burn amphibian skin and can kill them slowly.
General-purpose pesticides poison frogs directly and through the insects they eat, and they harm pets and beneficial insects too.
If an invasive species needs to be controlled, follow the humane methods recommended by your local wildlife agency.
If your pet catches a toad
Toads produce toxins in glands behind their eyes, and some species are dangerous to dogs. Signs include drooling, pawing at the mouth, red gums, vomiting or unsteady walking. Rinse your pet's mouth with water from the side, pointing the head down so they do not swallow it, and call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic right away.
The bottom line
Frogs follow water, insects and shelter. Drain standing water, dim the lights, tidy up the hiding places and protect your pool, and most frogs will find somewhere else to live. Save barriers and relocation for persistent problems, and skip the salt and chemical sprays. They harm your garden as much as they harm the frogs.
