To The Frogs

To The Frogs was Originally Posted on November 9, 2012 by lavarock

Tonight I hear a female coqui frog outside. I know where she is hiding (there is a particular tree and only the females sing). The tree is in my neighbors yard and if not addressed, that frog will create hundreds of offspring, half of which will start singing.

This is a case of an invasive species being accidentally introduced in an area where it has no real enemies (except irritated humans). They have multiplied from one frog in Hilo to cover large portions of the island (and this island is the size of Connecticut).

We have successfully killed the frogs with strong citric acid spray, but have also found we can apply a dusting of a more basic item (to change the PH the other way). The frog can only subsist in a narrow PH range. That more basic powder, the one not quite as bad for the environment is (drum roll) baking soda. It also is quite cheaper and available at fine supermarkets and in bulk at COSTCO.

We have a neighborhood unit that can fog that stuff, eventually a backpack leaf blower type machine. You locate the frog(s) with a flashlight and your ears, then blast the area with a dry fog of baking soda. The frog will die almost instantly.

When I ahd one right outside my house, I waited for him to sing and then broadcast a bit of baking soda on the plant and he chirped his last.

Although it sounds cruel, these things can make a very loud and irritating noise (just one can drive you crazy) and it effects house sales. I would never buy a house in an area that had coqui frog infestations anywhere near by.

So tomorrow night I may be outside just after dusk with a bag of baking soda and a flashlight.

As I was getting the Wikipedia citing for this I discovered that baking soda, although a better choice in my opinion, is not approved like citric acid is. The reason is citric acid is GRAS (Generally Approved as Safe) in food where baking soda, which is commonly found in food, is NOT generally recognized as safe. It may be, but has not gone through any testing. Also, Church & Dwight has denied approval to use its sodium bicarbonate to kill coqui frogs. I guess they don’t want to go down a slippery slope of their common product being used as a pest killer. I don’t know how scary that is considering that warfarin is a common anti-coagulant for humans and an active ingredient in rat poison.

From Wikipedia:

Coquis have become established in Hawaii, where they are considered an invasive species. Coqui population density in Hawaii can reach 20,000 animals per acre and affects 50,000 acres (20,000 ha). Eradication campaigns are underway on Hawaiʻi and Maui.