Question
QUESTION: Have an infestation of tiny frogs in our neighborhood.  They are really becoming a pest----fall on your head when you walk out your door;  on the house --pooping everywhere, on the windows, and now they are so plentiful that they are inside the house (getting in when we open the door).  Anything I can do to kill them or make them go away?  We do have a small drainage pond (5 acre pond that is almost dry due to summer heat).  Frogs are really a pest.
They are green and about the size of quarter (some are bigger--size of a silver dollar).  Help!!!

ANSWER: Identification of the frogs could help. But since we lack that info. Here are some general tips. Not much that can be done with frogs except change the habitat and trapping.

Exclusion.
Keep frogs out of your house by performing a thorough inspection of your building, top to bottom. Close or screen any all gaps that could be used by frogs. Make sure you don抰 have other species like bats living in the structure as closing the holes will trap them inside the building and have terrible side effects.  Even securing your building may trap frogs inside the structure. There may be an odor. Be prepared.

You can try glueboards (rat sized) to catch frogs or catch them by hand inside the sealed structure and then release outside.
To learn the fundamentals of structural inspection for wildlife entry visit http://www.icwdm.org/Inspection/Course/default.asp

Repellents: I am not aware of any repellent that will work on frogs

Habitat Modification:

Remove food sources. If you don't have the frogs food available, you won't have frogs.  This may involve insect control.

Remove harborage, it may sound drastic and it is, but you can cut down trees. Drier areas will be less friendly to frogs.


Trapping. if legal in your area, frogs can be trapped. http://icwdm.org/handbook/reptiles/Frogs.asp


One of the great things about frogs is that their presence means you live in a healthy environment. Frog populations are decreasing world wide due to environmental pollution and habitat destruction. In a time where more and more research suggests environmental causes of cancer, (diet and genes are the others) the presence of frogs is a good, while not conclusive, indicator of a healthy environment.

We are always looking for images (if you can safely take them) of wildlife damage to help us in our educational mission. We prefer high resolution, (3 mg or higher). Send to [email protected]  or if your e-mail can抰 handle large files upload to http://members.icwdm.org   
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Please include permission to use the images and where and when the photos were taken. Month/year is fine as is county or city and state.


I hope that helps.
Disclaimer: As with any activity, remember that animal damage control comes with its own risks and problems which can include but are not limited to legalities, health threats, and personal liabilities. Be sure to follow all state laws governing wildlife and make sure you have a thorough understanding on how to resolve the animal damage complaint. My advice is only as good as your understanding of me and my understanding of your situation. If you have any questions be sure to write back.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We live in Pacific NW....ie: quite "wet".  Not many bugs...a few flies, some bees and some mosquitoes.  I'm not talking about a "few" frogs....one day our road looked like it was carpeted with these tiny frogs.  Anything else you might suggest??  What would cause so many?

Answer
animal populations can cycle as well as changes can occur in distribution with changes in land use.

Since I am not local there, I would hesitate in providing any more speculation as to why the spike in frogs for this year. I would direct you to your local extension office through your state university system.

I understand you have a lot of frogs. But there are no registered toxicants for them. So you have to either trap, tolerate them, and wait for the cold weather to come.