Yet another coqui frog thread

[PaulW]

They may be cute but they're driving some native species to brink of extinction, and if the brown tree snake ever gets here they will help it spread in record time. If you don't care about that then let's see how cute they are when they invade your house, which is what they do if you don't do something to keep them at bay. Enjoy!

[Devany]

I would pay for a service and so would many people I know. We do not have a lot of them as the jungle/rain/forest is across the highway and south of us, but we are concerned with them going unchecked and would like to keep them away from the house. Our neighborhood sprays with citric acid and lime (alternating)using one of the big county sprayers once a month and that costs money, and seems to be fairly ineffective. I have a good friend that lives in Honokaa and they have been able to keep their neighborhood (heavily forested)coqui free. She pays two young men $20-30 & dinner every week to come out and hand catch any that they can hear. Of course those guys do not want to drive all the way down to Honolii. These "hunters" are paid by the coqui. When I try to catch them I can never find them.

The actual noise they make does not bother me, we can hardly hear them because our bedroom is upstairs, the sound of the surf is so loud and there are not many on our lot. However, my guest room is next to my anthurium garden downstairs and the noise is much louder there.

This would be a great job for teenagers or college kids that just want some cash!

Paul, just curious, how would the coquis help the brown tree snake spread or visa versa? I do not want either of them here of course.

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com

[PaulW]

Snakes love to eat frogs!

That sounds like a good deal, that $20-30 + dinner, someone may well take you up on it, I'm even tempted myself. How to determine the reward system is a problem, if you pay per coqui someone could be inclined to bring their own, and if there are regular visits involved then they could be tempted to not grab every coqui they see.

Best of all would be to learn how to do it yourself, it's not that hard. This slide show from the Volcano Coquistadors pretty much describes the method I use of locating them:
http://volcano-coqui.org/ (look to the left: "How to catch a coqui"). All you really need is a flashlight and, if you're squeamish, some thin gloves. Last night I caught 20 in about an hour using only that.

[missydog1]

Coqui CAN live in areas that are dry and not lush, if they are imported. There are coqui at Hualalai now, which is as harsh, hot, and dry a climate as you can ask for. They are living on the installed landscaping, not out on the lava, but they could do the same in any area where there are plantings. What quiets them down is cold, which is why they don't thrive up in Volcano.

They cannot be ELIMINATED. Spraying is ineffective when the frogs are sheltered by anything, under a curled leaf. And it is not practical to hand eradicate on the steep terrain areas. Not only are they hard to find, but what are you going to do when it's up a 50 foot tall tree? They are in the gulches to stay, and they are mobile, so they will come back. Areas that dealt with small infestations right away have been successful, but on much of the Big Island it was let go too long.

There is a guy who comes and catches them. A Hilo neighbor of mine got his name from the County. Sorry I don't have the information.
I have spent many hours trying to keep the coqui back ... out there with a lantern and sprayer, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It works to get one or two that are real close to the house, but boy is it time-consuming.

[Dave Smith]

The cold is definitely a factor. I notice they quiet down almost completely when the temperatures drops to around 60 degrees. Since what we're hearing is a mating call, that must put a severe damper on their breeding cycles.

[PaulW]

They're very adaptable beasties and I agree with the Coquistadors that Volcano would be overrun if they didn't do something about it. Maybe they'd only hear them in the summer, but that's bad enough.

[Devany]

Paul, thanks for the link. I had to instal Internet Explorer to watch the slide show. I use Safari as a browser. It was worth watching. I found it informative and I was surprised to hear that they do thrive in Volcano at 3800 ft.

Paul, if you can catch that many in one night, you either have quite a talent for it or you live in an area where there are a lot of frogs!

Does anyone know how long they can go "dormant" for and then revive? Seems like they must have to do that in Volcano if they come back in the warmer weather. I remember last week when we did not get any rain all week there were only 1-2 at night and as soon as it rained there must have been 8-10 of them chirping. Maybe they only chirp when breeding and only breed when it rains? I havea laso heard them in the day time sometimes when we have rain.


Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com

[PaulW]

I've got years of experience and also a yard with hundreds of coquis, here in HPP.
I've been a bit lazy lately so they accumulate.

I don't know if they actually go dormant, I think they just stop calling when conditions aren't right for breeding, eg very dry or cold.

Something else that works is baking soda, give it try. Just spread the powder where the coquis are at, preferably during a dry spell.

[Chuysmom]

I really don't hear 'em unless they're on my window sill...and the t.v. or ipod or fan kinda makes them fade a little.

I have to say in the winter when it's cold in the night and they are dead silent it's a little EEEEERRRRIE...

Carrie Rojo

http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com

"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it." Galadriel - LOTR

[mdd7000]

The males make the noise. The females are attracted to the noise. The males sit on (brood) the eggs for about 14 days until they hatch... It is a circle...