The easy way to keep pools frog-free

Once the weather turns wet we’re likely to see an increase in the number of frogs finding their way into backyard swimming pools. BioLab‘s Bill Mansfield has offered a few suggestions to help keep frogs out of the pool.

He says frogs do not like pool water and would stay out of a clean, sanitised pool, but they are unaware of the chemicals in the water until they get into the pool.

Unfortunately, there is no easy chemical treatment to stop frogs getting into a pool. The only way is to create a barrier between them and the water or a boundary around the pool that frogs will not like to cross.

Mansfield says that barriers such as a pool blanket or a raised section around the pool (about 20cm high) will deter frogs, but make sure they cannot climb the barrier.

What about salt?

Another way to prevent frogs getting into the pool is to make a salt barrier deterrent. Dilute salt into a bucket of water (about 1kg of table salt per 10L bucket) and pour this salty water around the edge of the pool. When the water evaporates there will be a light coverage of salt over the area. The salt is uncomfortable to the frogs’ feet (flippers?) and will deter them without harming them. Be aware, if you have grass or plants near the edge of your pool, this salt water mixture could kill nearby plants if spilt on them.

Other ways to deter frogs is to make the surrounding areas undesirable to frogs. Fill in any holes in the garden and pull up any large clumps of weeds where frogs may like to hide. If you are a keen gardener you could purchase a fertiliser with ammonia sulphate in it which will also deter frogs much like salt will.

Finally, you could provide something for the frogs to climb out of the pool. A paddle-board left half in the pool may help the frogs get out of the pool before they drown.

[It might also be worth looking at this site on the Critter Skimmer, a device for saving frogs from pool skimmers – ed.]