A Neighborhood Watch meeting is scheduled tonight at the Painted Church form 6 - 8 pm for residents in Honaunau near Painted Church Rd, Middle Keei Rd and surrounding areas. Agenda includes a brief update on our community coqui situation.
Please note: flyers distributed at the meeting are now posted here for your reference - currently updated for 2010. Mahalo.
Tips for Community Coqui Control
from the 2010 Honaunau Ke’ei Coqui Watch
WHY we need to work together:
Do you hear coqui frog noise in the evening? Coqui are small frogs that make big noise. Above the Mormon Church on Hwy 11, decibel levels have been measured between 70 - 90. This is the level of moderate-to-heavy street traffic or the din in neighborhoods along aircraft corridors. 75 decibels or higher substantially increases the risk of hearing loss. Unmanaged coqui habitats can create excessive noise.
The World Health Organization recognizes noise as a serious health hazard. Prolonged or
excessive exposure to noise may lead to sleep loss, provoke annoyance responses or hearing
impairments. (Research from the WHO online).
WHAT are coqui frog habits & facts:
During the day, most coqui frogs reside just under the ground to stay wet and cool: under low plants, mulch or rocks. However, some frogs stay up in plants that hold moisture like bananas, ti, and lahala. At sunset, any time of the year, frogs come to the ground surface to eat bugs. Please note: just after sunset is a good time to locate frogs and eradicate them even when it is dry and males are not calling. Coqui have an area on their underside where they absorb moisture. When they sit on the slat baking soda powder, they absorb it and die. Dusting under specific trees should be quicker and more effective than covering an entire habitat area.
Males are mature enough to make noise at about 7 months. Males climb plants or manmade
objects (including house rooftops!) in the evening to call females and claim their territory. Females and young males do not make noise. Male coqui are quiet when it’s dry, cold, or tending eggs. You may have coqui, even if you don’t hear them. Know that when you first hear one or two frogs, there are many more silently multiplying that you don’t hear. Therefore, keep treating & maintaing infested areas.
A pair of frogs can produce *40 frog eggs every two & a half weeks. That’s 291,600,000 frogs in 40 months. A concerned resident at a Kona Rotary meeting reported 10,000 frogs per acre. There are no natural predators for coqui frogs on the Hawaiian Islands and populations are expanding out of balance. Research is currently being done to test coqui impact on the ecology.
While it is seems coqui are here on the island to stay, know you and your immediate
neighbors CAN do your part to keep coqui away!
HOW to take action with a few easy steps:
Coqui control is successful when motivated neighbors take ACTION to work together!
While many methods have been tried for coqui control, coqui frog populations can be managed. Communities near Capt. Cook Rd, Kaloko, Honalo, Hawi & N. Kohala are frog free. Create your own “frog free zone” with neighbors near you!
Many methods:
TAG -n- TREAT: For ‘isolated frogs‘, when you first hear 1 or 2
This best time to manage coqui near you!
First listen and locate frogs in the evening just after sunset.
Directly apply citric acid solution (formula below), with hand sprayer. Direct contact is needed to be effective.
Or, tag trees with survey tape, write down month & year of finding with marker pen. (chances are, you may have to return to this spot later for follow up treatment) Return the next day, on a clear afternoon with little chance of rain, and treat area with dry baking soda*. (Baking soda will still work even when its a little wet). Distribute baking soda evenly around base of tagged trees. When coqui frogs come up from the ground near sunset time to feed, their contact with baking soda causes death.
For larger areas of coqui habitat infestation:
spray citric acid solution or dry baking soda* from a large backpack blower Several applications may be needed for maintenance. Prevent coqui habitats from spreading or secure the perimeter of your property by clearing a 5 ft barrier along your property.
* Citric acid dissolve in water with any size sprayer: 1.3 lb of citric acid per gallon 1 of water. (16% solution) This solution requires direct contact with coqui frog to be effective.
* Catch by Hand use clear plastic gloves or bags, turn inside out, tie & put in freezer.
* Hydrated lime is no longer legally recommended for coqui control, but some find it still works.
* Hot water – 113 to 119 degrees – kills frogs
- Baking soda is found effective “in the field” however, it is still considered an experimental method and not approved by the BIISC - more research needs to be done.
KEEP KONA QUIET: Honaunau Ke’ei Coqui Watch
Volunteers are needed: in the field, make a meal to renew the crew, or to call & coordinate treatment dates with neighbors. Please note: our community coqui watch is currently designed as a resource for education and empowerment, your participation and contribution is encouraged so we can work together.
Keep Kona Quiet, a 501c3 (#20-3505810), kindly accepts your tax-deductible donations.
Support our sole mission and purpose: protect the peaceful environment of Honaunau & Ke’ei ahupua’a through community coqui control. Mahalo & Aloha
Mahalo for doing your part to Keep Kona Quiet
0 comments:
Post a Comment