Frogs, despite being beneficial and an important part of the natural habitat of a garden, are not well addressed and are not being liked by most of the gardeners. It’s important to know that these little, skinny jumping creatures which are in your garden are actually trying to balance the ecosystem of your beautiful garden.
Both frogs and toads are important and found to be fortunate for a gardener as they can consume a broad variety of pests, like:
- bugs
- beetles
- caterpillars
- cutworms
- grasshoppers
- other harmful insects in the garden
Frogs, also known as the Natural Pest Killers, can eat more than 100 insects throughout a single night.
Although frogs are great for natural habitats and can balance the ecosystem, there are few things you should know and consider before introducing frogs into your garden. Below are the pros and cons of having frogs in your garden.
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Pros of Frogs in Garden
Natural Pest Control
Frogs are a very effective and natural pest control method and if you have enough frogs in your garden, you can avoid using pesticides and can also save a few beneficial bugs with these frogs.
Once the pests are within the sight of a frog, there isn’t any chance of escaping because of the speed at which their tongue can move, which is almost a tenth of a second.
Bioindicators
Experienced gardeners know that the existence of frogs in their gardens usually indicates a healthy garden environment. Frogs are extremely vulnerable to chemicals and pollutants, including fungicides and insecticides.
Cons of Frogs in Garden
Poisonous Frogs
A few frog varieties, especially the brightly colored ones, can be very dangerous. Toxins from these frogs are strong enough to kill people.
Frogs like poison dart frogs, corroboree frogs, and varied poisonous frogs can make poison when they eat pests. It’s a good thing for gardeners that these poisonous frogs pretty often leave the natural environment of a garden alone.
Carry Diseases and Bacteria
Frogs can carry a number of diseases, depending on where they come from, that can also harm your local ecosystem.
They’re well known for spreading such illnesses as Salmonella. To prevent these diseases, always wash your hands after working in your garden or after touching frogs to stop the spread of those germs and diseases.
Attract Frogs To Your Garden
Frogs and toads are likely to be present if there is a pool, stream, or other body of water nearby. Here are a few ideas for inviting frogs into your garden and persuading them to stay there.
Eliminate Natural and Artificial Chemicals
Frogs can be poisoned by chemicals, artificial fertilizers, and weeds because frogs use their skin to breathe and drink. Because of that it’s possible that the frogs inhale or absorb the chemicals used in pesticides.
So, it’s better to use organic and natural methods to kill pests instead of using chemicals which can harm frogs along with other pests in the garden.
Offer Shelter
Frogs need shelter to protect themselves from sun and predators and prefer to live in damp and dark locations. So, it would be great if you built a few small caves filled with small and medium sized stones or a flowerpot filled with a few stones; clay and water can also attract frogs.
Provide Water
A small pond or small water tanks in the garden can also attract frogs to your garden. They prefer to live inside the water during the day to get refreshed and protect themselves from predators.
How to Get Rid of Excessive Frogs
If you happen to end up with an excessive amount of frogs, it’s better to get most of them out of the garden. You can have an abrupt increase in the number of frogs once the young ones are adults and can move anywhere easily.
Having too many frogs in your garden can indicate a larger problem such as a drainage issue or larger pest problem than you may have thought.
Use a Net to Capture Frogs
Instead of using chemicals or pesticides to kill the frogs, it would be best to use some trap nets on a few spots in your garden, which can trap the frogs moving around.
Use a Flashlight at Night
If you think there are more frogs wandering in your garden that may harm your vegetable plants, use a flashlight at night and they will move far away from your garden in search of dark places.
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If you are trying to get rid of pests like:
- squash bugs
- cut worms
- grasshoppers
- mosquitoes
- cucumber beetles
- earwigs
- potato beetles
- bean beetles
- slugs
- gypsy moths
- ants
- flies
- pill bugs
- crickets
- caterpillars
You should invite a few frogs into your garden and they can help you get rid of all these pests in a natural way, without using any chemicals.
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