Citric acid was identified by the Hawaii Dept.
of Agriculture and the USDA Wildlife Service as an effective,
legal pesticide for coqui frogs. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) considers citric acid to be a minimum risk pesticide,
and it is, therefore, not regulated. The efficacy of citric
acid was tested on coqui frog eggs. Egg clusters or clutches
(at least 4 days old) were cleared of dead or infertile eggs
and dissected into two masses; one half was treated and the
other half served as untreated control. Treatments were 16%
citric acid (1 ml applied by aerosol) with no rinsing or rinsing
one hour after treatment.
Egg clutches were observed until all viable eggs hatched.
Both treatments greatly reduced hatch rate compared to the
untreated controls. Two of the 7 clutches that were not rinsed
had some degree of hatching, while 6 of the 10 clutches that
were rinsed had some degree of hatching. A solution
of 16% citric acid was 97% effective in decreasing coqui frog
egg viability, especially if the solution is not rinsed off.
Phytotoxicity studies using 25% citric acid were conducted
on a variety of ornamental plants. Palms and dracaena varieties
were the most tolerant of the citric acid.
Test Results:
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