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A huge coqui frog (judging by the ear-shattering chirp) lives near my bedroom window and tortures me when I'm trying to go to sleep. After living with coquis for 20+ years, this is the first time I'm upset over one.
My question is - is there some way less expensive to kill him other than buying citric acid?
Thanks for any suggestions.
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Hydrated lime.
Be careful not to breathe it, and best to wear gloves when applying it.
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You probably already have a flashlight. They don't move that fast and are pretty easy to catch. If you can't bring yourself to crush it in your grasp you can always flush it. I doubt you'll hear the muffled coqui call from your cesspool.
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Bleach in a squirt bottle.
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Boiling hot water.
If possible, remove vegetation from near your bedroom window.
Citric acid does not work. Hydrated lime is way too dangerous.
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Flashlight and fly swatter.
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From my experience..
• Citric Acid works fine but it's costly (especially if you get suckered into buying it from some place like the Garden Exchange) and pretty toxic to humans and pets. If you apply it you have to protect yourself and if your pets wanders through it will burn their paws and then they'll lick it off etc.. In other words it can be very hard on them... i.e., it's not to be trifled with.
• All told you don't need Citric Acid, Hydrated Lime, or bleach, all of which are toxic, and boiling water works occasionally at best. Try spraying some, it's cooling as soon as it enters the atmosphere, so unless you see the frog and apply it directly there's no way it's going to help you.
• Our neighborhood, we work as a team, uses regular old Baking Soda. We have dry powder sprayers but it's pretty easy with just hand broadcasting. Works like a charm, is not toxic, nor does it burn your skin, and can be applied very easily. If you have a small area, such as outside your window it might be done in one application. It's always best to cover the ground first so if the frog jumps upon initial contact it jumps down into more Baking Soda. Also if the area has heavy growth you might prune bushes etc., so as to minimize the surface area you're dealing with. But you shouldn't have to take drastic measures for just a spot infestation. BTW.. This should be done dry, powder, while it's not raining. Good Luck!
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Yep, easy to catch, go outside, and look around the window or under mouldings / sills you might have... Usually they like to hide under something. But, I'm guessing it's pretty close. If you have any vegetation growing next to the house remove it or cut it down.
What I do, when I catch one, is, I look at him (only males chirp) in the eye and say... DO NOT COME BACK... and tell your friends too! And toss him back into the jungle, I've killed them before, if they are too fast I a squish them... But I find tossing back into the jungle gives me just as good of a success rate.
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I find that by far the best way to kill them is to find and destroy by hand, but if you can't find them then spray very hot water all over the general area. It may not kill them but hopefully will scare them off.
I have tried everything listed above and I can assure you that none of the chemicals work very well. They are very very hardy beasts.
To find them, get a very strong flashlight. Walk towards the sound taking one step every time they peep and wait when they are silent.
Don't touch anything! When you think you know where they are, back up and approach from a different direction. Keep doing this (a sort of triangulation) until you're quite certain of where they are, then use the flashlight to spot them. Look for it from every angle and try not to touch anything. if they are very loud then they are bouncing the sound off something solid (e.g. a tree trunk) so take that into account.
When you have found them, grab them with a bare or gloved hand by squishing them against whatever they are sitting on, or between your hands if they are on a flimsy leaf. Make sure they won't sing ever again. Put them in the freezer if you're squeamish.
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there's an app for that.
it makes a coqui sound that the lil buggers can't help but reply to, so you can find and destroy the noise makers.
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