No Rain, No Frogs? Reminders for Coqui Control

Has the lack of rain in West Hawaii reduced coqui frog noise? This research in Puerto Rico suggests that drought deters their life cycle, but they will return when rains return.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1564995

Below are a few reminders for community coqui control. Mahalo for your interest and concern. http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/pq/coqui

Action Plan 

for COMMUNITY Coqui Control

TAG * TREAT * REPEAT

Coqui frog control has been successful when neighbors are motivated & committed to work together. Keep the peace & quiet in your community by aligning with your immediate neighbors. All you need is 2 friends or neighbors willing to work together and take these few easy steps: Tag,Treat & Repeat.

Many methods have been tried to prevent the invasive Hawaii coqui frog from spreading. The latest includes an easy technique with a leaf blower or backpack blower & dry baking soda. 

Please NOTE: Many neighbors report success with this method to quiet coqui. The information shared here has been learned through experience by our friends and farmers 'in the field". While this technique is not officially ‘approved’ by BIISC at this time, there is currently research being done by the USDA. Visit HERE: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/documents/USDASodiumbicarbonatereport.pdf 

For ‘isolated frogs‘ (when you first hear 1 or 2):

Listen & locate sound, TAG tress, then clear underbrush. TREAT with baking soda evenly around base of trees. REPEAT a month or so later. Start at the base, and work your way up to about 10 feet. If you start top-down, the frog may jump and you’ll miss the mark. After an evening of “coqui calling”, these frogs often return to the ground to remain cool and wet during the day. Contact with baking soda causes death. Know that when you first hear one or two frogs, there are many more silently multiplying that you don’t hear! The best time to manage coqui noise near you is NOW.  

For larger areas of coqui infestation:

Spray dry baking soda dust with a leaf blower/backpack blower on top of the mulch/ground.  Have one person hold the leaf blower, and another a container with baking soda. If necessary, create a 5 foot barrier clearing around your property edge to prevent frogs from spreading or if you want to secure the perimeter of your property from coqui habitation.