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  Eliminate Frog-Friendly Habitats

Eliminate frog-friendly habitat in your yard. Coqui frogs are nocturnal and spend the day avoiding the sun in shady, moist underbrush, leaf litter, or holes among rocks. At night, adult males and females climb into understory vegetation, perching in protected leaf shelters.

  • Dispose of green waste properly– cuttings piled in your yard or by the side of the road are ideal habitats for coqui and greenhouse frogs.
  • Remove dead leaves from plants, prune and thin shrubs, and rake up debris to limit frog habitat.
  • In dry weather, frogs can be attracted to standing or dripping water, so fix any leaky faucets, and empty containers that catch rainwater.
Eliminate frog-friendly habitats:
frog friendly underbush
trees serving as windbreak
a) Eliminate tall, thick growth with underbrush. b) Eliminate trees serving as windbreak or fencing to reduce habitat for tree frogs.

What to do in residential areas to discourage frog populations:
yard
white fence
extend walls down to the ground
a) Keep yard clear to establish "buffer zone" and keep frogs at a distance from the house.
b) Use fencing instead of windbreak trees that could harbor coqui frogs.
c) Keep frogs out of potted plants in hot-houses by extending walls to the ground.
     

d) Dispose of green waste (left) properly by mulching (right).

   Coqui frogs prefer some types of plants over others.  By minimizing these coqui-friendly plants on your property, you may reduce the number of frogs. 

Some plants that coqui frogs seem to prefer include:

Albezia Clidemia (Koster's curse) Heliconia
Ti Loulu (Pritchardia) palm Monstera

 

   Removing dead leaves from large-leafed plants, such as banana plants, will also limit the number of retreat sites frogs can use for shelter, protection, and nesting.

 

 

BEFORE

- dead leaves

- leaf litter

 

 

AFTER

- leaves trimmed

- debris cleared

 


If coqui are well-established in your area:

  • REPLACE thick understory vegetation with thinner vegetation.
  • SPRAY all landscape and potted plants with citric acid or hot water.
  • MOW a buffer zone around your house to help reduce noise.
  •  

    Photos by S.Chun, A. Hara and S. Marr, UH–CTAHR

     

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