Coqui population explosion (Hilo: house, landscaping, marketplace)

[nullgeo]

In Waikiki's International Marketplace? Sheesh! Little buggers ...

More tiny coqui frogs showing up in Hawaii, creating menace as population explodes - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/more-tiny-coqui-frogs-showing-up-in-hawaii-creating-menace-as-population-explodes/2011/12/24/gIQA8V8gFP_story.html - broken link)

[hotzcatz]

They've already written the Big Island off. Should coqui start becoming prevalent on Oahu, I'll bet they figure out an easier way to get rid of them than one by one and by humans doing it. Some sort of predator which only eats frogs (a frog virus?) might be the answer.

For your own areas, as soon as you hear ONE frog - go kill it. Kill it immediately and don't wait. Once they become established, they are almost impossible to eradicate. I don't know of any area that "used" to have coqui frogs. One frog calling is kinda cute but they don't stop at one and the frogs here grow to twice or thrice as big as they do in their native states so I'm guessing their call is about twice or thrice as loud, too. Once they are established, you aren't going to be sleeping as well at night, that's for sure. Especially if your house has landscaping near the house.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

They've already written the Big Island off. Should coqui start becoming prevalent on Oahu, I'll bet they figure out an easier way to get rid of them than one by one and by humans doing it. Some sort of predator which only eats frogs (a frog virus?) might be the answer.

For your own areas, as soon as you hear ONE frog - go kill it. Kill it immediately and don't wait. Once they become established, they are almost impossible to eradicate. I don't know of any area that "used" to have coqui frogs. One frog calling is kinda cute but they don't stop at one and the frogs here grow to twice or thrice as big as they do in their native states so I'm guessing their call is about twice or thrice as loud, too. Once they are established, you aren't going to be sleeping as well at night, that's for sure. Especially if your house has landscaping near the house.

Heh ... tempting the "Law of Unintended Consequences", huh? That's how the mongoose got here, if you recall ... reminds me of the children's song: "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly."
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Lyrics & Music at BusSongs.com

[whtviper1]

I don't know how anyone sleeps around Hilo with those darn frogs - they are LOUD!

[hotzcatz]

ear plugs, my friend, ear plugs. The silence of the night is long gone in Hilo town.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I don't know how anyone sleeps around Hilo with those darn frogs - they are LOUD!

Double-paned (or triple-paned) windows, lack of foliage within 50 feet of the residence, and the occasional culling of the ones that possess "undesirable" characteristics (eg. boldness and stupidity).

[mdand3boys]

They don't like cooler temps. At around 62 to 63 degrees, they get quiet.
The higher in elevation you are, the less likely to have a coqui issue.
We recently moved from 350 to 850 ft elevation and the quiet at night is certainly welcome.

The new place also has zero vegetation around the house and the house is insulated, plus has decent windows. It really makes a difference.

[Jeepers Creepers]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I don't know how anyone sleeps around Hilo with those darn frogs - they are LOUD!

TSA and Homeland Paranoia, "think" ( a real task) that these are disguised Teeny-Tiny terrorists trying to make people 'croak' , by sleep deprivation techniques. This "Al-Ricket-Ricket" cell has leaped to the conclusion that
no natural predator is around to stop them. However, Kermit and Spider man have teamed up, to lace flies with arsenic to poison the tongue lashing little devils. EPA and PETA objected, so "Small World After ALL, Surf Boards" manufactured a few thousand to lure them into catching that "next big wave" on the north shore. When last seen, several thousands were riding out towards Southern California singing " California Dreaming" and smoking weed.

[mauibeachbum]

Hmmmmm-
Balance of nature. What does the frog eat? Bugs. What kind of bugs? Suppose the more frogs there are, the less ants and mosquitos that will around 'bugging' you? We have a different tree frog, but have noticed that the years that the sound of them coming from the forest, the less mosquitos we have. Just a thought.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by mauibeachbum

Hmmmmm-
Balance of nature. What does the frog eat? Bugs. What kind of bugs? Suppose the more frogs there are, the less ants and mosquitos that will around 'bugging' you? We have a different tree frog, but have noticed that the years that the sound of them coming from the forest, the less mosquitos we have. Just a thought.

They are out of the balance of nature. They are an invasive species, introduced from puerto Rico. Without any natural predator within the ecosystem, they really aren't part of nature's balancing act.