How to Get Rid of Frogs From Your Backyard

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To get rid of frogs in your backyard, you need to identify the frog species and why they’re attracted to your yard. Typically, you need to make your yard less hospitable to frogs.

This means eliminating or putting up barriers to water and food sources and using deterrents such as salt or coffee grounds.

You may also need to keep weeds and tall grasses at bay or barricade your garden.

Let’s look at the steps you can take to get rid of those pesky frogs!

frog in backyard

Ways To Get Rid of Frogs in Your Backyard

Discovering frogs are making their home in your backyard isn’t fun, but try to pinpoint why they find it habitable. If possible, take a photo of one of the frogs and use an app to see what type of frogs you have.

Depending on the laws in your area, you may need to call in professionals. Some species are protected and it can be against the law to exterminate them.

Professional pest companies can also help identify frog species and relocate or rehome them if needed.  

Eliminate Water and Food Sources

Yards that have standing water or poor drainage can be inviting to frogs. Ponds, pools, birdbaths, and areas where standing water from rain and irrigation pools provide the perfect environment.

To help remove water sources, you can drain standing water from ponds and birdbaths. If it’s not practical to drain them, you can cover them with mesh or some type of barrier. Keep your pool covered at night or when it’s not in use.

Hot tubs can also be an additional water source. Be sure to keep these covered if you have them. With standing and pooled water or areas with poor drainage, call in a specialist to figure out why it’s happening.

frog near garden pond
Frogs will always be attracted to still water in your backyard

You may need to fix or clean your gutters or reduce rock coverage near your home’s foundation and basement windows.

The food sources frogs will be attracted to include bugs and other pests like crickets and insects. Turn off or remove lighting at night that may be causing other pests to gather near your home.

Use Natural and Chemical Deterrents

Another way to keep frogs out of your backyard is to put down synthetic or natural chemicals they don’t like. These include bleach, salt, coffee grounds, and lemon.

While none of these items will cause harm to frogs, the smell or feel of them causes frogs to avoid the area. Salt and coffee grounds are things frogs don’t like to feel on their feet or skin.

The smell of bleach and lemon juice are scents frogs don’t like at all. So by spraying a mix of bleach or lemon juice and water you can help stop frogs from setting up camp in your yard.

However, you’ll have to spray and put down deterrents on a regular basis. Wind, rain, sun, and time can get rid of the scents and items.

Coffee grounds and salt, in particular, can break down over time and become absorbed by the soil.

In addition, you’ll want to be careful if you have pets and kids that use your backyard. Bleach can be toxic to both, while salt and coffee grounds can be health hazards for dogs.

If you’re concerned about exposing your pets or children to potentially harmful items, ask a professional pest control company for help.

Keep Your Yard in Tip-Top Shape

A third way to stop frogs from making your backyard their habitat is to maintain it. Long grass, untrimmed bushes and shrubs, and weeds are inviting to amphibians.

During the growing season, make sure you’re mowing your lawn at least once a week. Also, try to prevent weeds from growing with preemergent solutions.

If you do see weeds sprouting up, take care of them with a post-emergent solution.

You can use synthetic weed killers or natural alternatives like vinegar. However, you want to use appropriate chemicals on your lawn. Some weed killers and natural alternatives are not selective. This means they will kill your grass, too.

Stick with weed killers made specifically for lawns, as these know the difference between weeds and grass. During the height of spring and summer, it’s a good idea to check for new weed growth twice a week.

If you let weeds grow too long without treating them, they can start to seed and create more of a problem. Tall weeds that are allowed to grow are perfect places for frogs to reside in since they offer camouflage.

For bushes and shrubs, plan on trimming those twice a year if you live in a northern climate. The best time to trim is in the spring and fall.

If you live in a sub-tropical climate, you’ll probably have to trim as new growth starts impacting the bush’s appearance.

If you’re going to be away on vacation, are pressed for time, or can’t take care of your lawn yourself, consider hiring a pro. Check with local landscaping companies, small businesses, and individuals willing to do lawn care for hire.

Call a Pest Control Company

If DIY methods fail, you should call a pest control company to evaluate the situation. They can determine why frogs are coming into your backyard and recommend various solutions to the problem.

Most pest control companies will recommend solutions that prevent frogs from coming back, in addition to removal strategies.

Make a shortlist of local vendors based on online ratings and reviews. Also, try to see if the companies have experience with frogs.

frogs in a bucket
If the problem gets out of control you can always call pest control

Narrow down your shortlist to two or three finalists and then select the vendor with the best value. This doesn’t necessarily mean the best price, but the company that can offer you the highest level of quality and expertise within your budget.

Also, check to see what kind of guarantee or warranty various pest control companies might offer. If the problem happens again within a few months, you’ll want some sort of recourse for correcting it through the vendor. Consider any guarantees in your final selection.

Final Thoughts

Figuring out how to get rid of frogs in your backyard can take some trial and error. First, you need to determine the type of species that is invading your yard.

See if there are any local regulations that will influence how you handle the problem.

Second, try to isolate what’s attracting frogs to your yard. For example, do you have tall and unruly bushes and weeds that offer protection?

Or are there water and food sources that make your backyard a suitable habitat?

While removing some water sources such as pools and fountains can be impractical, you can cover them or make them inaccessible to frogs.

When amenities aren’t in use, the best thing to do is drain them. But you probably don’t want to do this to a pool every night.

Instead, invest in a good cover and place it over the amenity before dusk. Also, be sure to keep on top of lawn care.

Unkept and overgrown yards and weeds give frogs a perfect excuse to make them their home. You can also apply chemicals to stop frogs from entering the yard.

If all else fails, don’t hesitate to call in the pros.  

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