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Wow. It looks like I got out of Orchidland just in time (1993).
In answer to the question, there are so many factors that influence property prices, I don't think it's possible to isolate the cost impact of the coqui. IIRC, prices stayed pretty flat for ten years or so after I sold out, until the real estate bubble came along. I've watched prices on the Big Island for some 30 years or more, and there are definitely fluctuations, spikes, and flat spots. But I can't say I saw any big change happen when the coqui invaded. Prices were low at the time -- Gulf War and recession in Japan.
Won't cats, mongoose and dogs eat them? Or any bird develop a taste for them? Get some kind of balance in place?
Basically, no.
In their native Puerto Rico they are kept in check by snakes, which we do not have.
This is why they have spread so quickly in Hawai'i... no natural predators!
Big Island botched the eradication they could have achieved fairly easy a dozen years ago. Neighbor islands have so far been successful in their eradication efforts, but it's probably just a matter of time before the coquis are out of control on other islands too.
Yes, and knowledgeable realtors often steer potential buyers to the quiet areas. Besides the enjoyment that comes from living in a quiet area, the holding of property values is another reason many communities have organized "volunteer" efforts to keep out coqui frogs.
I'm tired of hearing how the gov't botched the frog eradication efforts. They may very well have, for all I know, but it was really the nurseries who introduced the frogs that need to be named and blamed. They were the ones that imported the frogs with their plants, the ones who didn't inspect their plants, the ones who didn't react when the frogs got established on their property. They could've prevented the spread of the frogs by being vigilant and acting fast, but they didn't. Hawaii's ecosystem is fragile and under constant threat, everybody needs to be aware and care for it.
So how long till they spread to the quiet areas? Is it a lost cause?
The county professes a commitment to their eradication, but hasn't funded the effort for the last couple of years. Their only participation at the moment is to maintain and loan out the special sprayers used by community organizations.
Mostly their spread now is limited by environmental factors, and the diligence of local volunteers. They need damp underbrush, and warm temperatures.
There are currently only two materials that are approved by the EPA for killing them... ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and agricultural lime. The first is expensive (in sprayer quantities) and the second is extremely messy. Both are difficult to apply.
Dusting with baking soda is effective and cheap, but the experimental permit to try it expired and the researchers didn't renew it.
Wonder if a $1.00 a head would reduce their numbers enough, well maybe a dollar is too much I think someone said 10,000 frogs per acre in some areas. So maybe a price per pound to help eradicate them
Money motivates.
I smell a new tv series, HAWAIIAN FROG HUNTERS ha ha...
I live on one of those 10,000 frogs-per-acre lots. A few years ago my neighbor offered her granddaughter and her little friend 25 cents per frog, after just one night she balked because she said it was costing her a fortune. When my cats were younger they would catch the frogs but would vomit them up almost immediately.
I smell a new tv series, HAWAIIAN FROG HUNTERS ha ha...
LOL I'd watch it, anything in Hawaii and I'm watching it.
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