Frogs and toads are critical members of their ecosystems. If you live close to their natural habitat, you may find your amphibious neighbors congregating on your porch or patio. They might be a welcome sight at first, but some species are poisonous to pets, and incessant night croaking can become irritating. Fortunately, there are natural ways to keep toads away from the patio — and frogs too — without compromising the ecosystem.
Repel Frogs by Redesigning Your Porch
Video of the Day
Before you attempt to get rid of frogs or toads on a porch, you should ask yourself why they're attracted to your home. Maybe they feel welcomed by the stunning flora you've grown on your porch, or maybe you have standing water in fountains or birdbaths. Perhaps they gather at your place because there's a buffet of insects always available for snacking.
Video of the Day
The least harmful way to get rid of toads and frogs on your porch is to make the area uninviting. That could possibly mean getting rid of some plants with large leaves that they can hide behind and removing standing water fixtures so the place looks less like their natural environment. Turn off lights that attract flying bugs and the frogs and toads may move on to buggier spaces.
Keep Toads and Frogs Away With a Barrier
If you live near a pond, the frogs may end up at your front door due to proximity. Frogs can generally only jump about a foot forward and catch a few inches of air. Toads barely make it off the ground. A very small barrier fence around the pond or around your yard could keep the unwelcome amphibious visitors off your property.
Salt the Earth
Your hoppy guests may still not get the hint, so you'll need to make them actively uncomfortable. Try sprinkling salt around your porch. Because frogs and toads absorb the environment through their skin, hopping on salted ground makes them dehydrated, and they won't stick around. Never pour salt directly onto a frog or toad, as this could kill them.
Saving Frogs and Toads
You could certainly find a store-bought chemical that could quickly kill the frogs and toads, but they play an important part in keeping the food chain balanced. Eliminating them could create another pest nuisance that you find even more annoying than the croaking.
Tadpoles eat algae in the fresh water in which they live. Keeping the algae at bay creates a healthy environment for many beautiful blooms. As they mature, frogs and toads eat many insects, particularly disease-carriers, like mosquitoes. They eventually serve as nutrients for birds, snakes, and fish.
Always remember that some frogs are protected species. Contact your state's department of natural resources or environmental protection agency for protocol about removing protected frogs.