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Frogs; I cannot stand them and they are everywhere - tips?

10 replies

SomethingSuper · 12/04/2011 15:50

Hi, I am in the process of trying to get my garden nice and decent, it having been a bit overgrown and uncared for while we sorted the house out, but there are frogs everywhere.

I can't stand them; they make a horrible screaming noise if I gently try to guide them off the lawn. I can't mow the grass as they are buried in it - last year I patted an area of grass down directly before trying to mow it. Found no frogs, put lawnmower on and there was a wet explosion and some guts and legs in the middle of the lawn.

I don't want to hurt them obviously (I can't even rake the borders to clear the leaves in case the rake hurts one), can anyone tell me how to deal with this please? It's such a stupid thing but it's preventing me from having a nice garden that we can actually use!

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Driftwood999 · 12/04/2011 19:04

Do your neighbours have the same problem? They have just finished spawning and are exhausted (according to my wildlife book) they spend most of their time on land in the summer (didn't know that) It must be horrible as you say you are inhibited from cracking on with your plans for the garden, Could you get a group of children and parents to come and have fun trying to catch them. Bring a shoe box. Each family could take some away to "rehome" far from your place! Or, freecycle them (seriously) as I understand they are good for allotments and some gardeners would welcome them as they eat slugs. I watch with interest.

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Beamur · 12/04/2011 19:08

I'm glad you don't want hurt the frogs - they have a hard enough time anyway!
Try raking the lawn gently with a plastic rake before you mow - if you keep the grass short it won't appeal to them much anyway.
Why not have a wildlife area for them?
DD 4 loves frogs, as do I.

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SomethingSuper · 13/04/2011 14:27

Thanks to you both for replying. I forgot to put in my OP that I am terrified of them. I feel ill when I see one and I have a fear of me happily clearing the top of the garden (quite overgrown) and at some point stepping back and standing on one. I was hoping someone would come on and say something like 'oh just squirt orange juice all over the place and they'll immediately flee overnight'

Think I'll try and rope people into helping me clear the top bit and ask people to put any that they find into a bucket and then get someone else to take the bucket somewhere far, far away.

Thanks again! If anybody else reads this and has any other ideas, please jug in!

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MelinaM · 13/04/2011 16:11

My friend had this exact same problem when she bought an old bungalow with an extremely overgrown garden, once she'd cleared it any remaining frogs moved on to pastures new! Her husband and brother cleared the garden of overgrowth bit by bit, collecting the frogs in buckets as they went, they later released them in a local wildlife garden.

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WorzselMummage · 13/04/2011 17:08

Frogs are great and keeping the slugs in check and slugs are far worse!

They do squeel though, it's weird isn't it!

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WorzselMummage · 13/04/2011 17:10

Oh and I have stood on one, My Dad shut one in the back door and chopped it in half and my Mum had the horror of running one over with the lawn mower blurgh.

Give the frogs a chance

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Beamur · 13/04/2011 20:59

Be mindful of what you do - these are animals protected by Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

www.naturenet.net/law/sched5.html

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 14/04/2011 14:43

OP, I feel your pain! I don't think we've got as many as you in our garden but there are a lot and I dread going to the back of the garden with a garden fork as I hate the prospect of frog kebab!!!!

Beamur, that appears to only state that you can't sell frogs. Bloody hell, I'd make a fortune if it was legal to sell the ones in our garden!!!! Doesn't to say they are protected in any other way though.

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Beamur · 14/04/2011 21:52

Schedule 5 lists all the animals covered, then Section 9 lists what you cannot do. Not just part 5.
In theory, I suspect much gardening activity probably contravenes Part 4..enforcement though, is another matter.

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SomethingSuper · 18/04/2011 11:09

Well, I've now purchased some very thick, heavy-duty gloves, a kids fishing net with a long, looooooong pole and a bucket. I then took a deep breath and called my Dad and asked him if would help me clear the top of the garden

I never used to be bothered at all by frogs but I seem to have developed an actual phobia of them in a very short space of time