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Any Y'all live next to a pond?

trevj

Ultra Member
Been experiencing a weird thing the last few years.

I have, more or less, a 15 acre pond in front of my house. It it is WELL populated with frogs.

About every 30 or so minutes, they all go completely silent! Then the cacophony rises once again, and all returns to normal.

Wish I knew what was making them all shut up at once. Unless it's "Missus Frog" hollering out for her Mister! LOL!
 

ChazzC

Well-Known Member
Been experiencing a weird thing the last few years.

I have, more or less, a 15 acre pond in front of my house. It it is WELL populated with frogs.

About every 30 or so minutes, they all go completely silent! Then the cacophony rises once again, and all returns to normal.

Wish I knew what was making them all shut up at once. Unless it's "Missus Frog" hollering out for her Mister! LOL!
25 acres sounds more like a lake!

As for the croakers, maybe they’re just taking a communal breather?
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Wish I knew what was making them all shut up at once. Unless it's "Missus Frog" hollering out for her Mister! LOL!

We have frog orgies here. First it is the leopards in the early spring, then the toads, then the chorus frogs, then the spring peepers, then the greens. They ALL DO THAT.

The toad orgies are the most frenetic.

I believe it is a predator protection scheme. Many eyes is a good protection scheme. They all tune in to one another. If one senses trouble, he shuts up and then they all shut up. You can test this by sneaking up on them. The first to sense you silences them all. When one restarts, they all restart. Any frog who doesn't shut up on cue is a dead frog.

I've also watched snakes, herons, and racoons hunting frogs. It's the same response. Survival is a strong evolutionary force.

It takes almost nothing to stop them. A leaf moving, a pebble thrown, a bird flying by. Almost anything stops them. Getting going again is a bit harder. I've noticed that the original stopper has the easiest time restarting them.
 

pdentrem

Member
Ponds are also known as mosquito farms. Our small pond has a snapper or two and lots of greens and bullfrogs. Still there are more mosquitoes than I care to count!
Pierre
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Ponds are also known as mosquito farms. Our small pond has a snapper or two and lots of greens and bullfrogs. Still there are more mosquitoes than I care to count!
Pierre

Nah, small fish and minnows solve that problem for the most part. When they don't, there is a product called aquabac that will clobber them.


We sprinkle a little in drains, barrels, standing water, and around the stagnant edges of our pond. Sure, we have the odd mosquitto but not even remotely a terrible problem.

13 acres on the property for us, same symphony

Only a little wee tiny 1 acre pond here - with an island. It's raining today.

20240428_123729.jpg

We also keep a bubbler going year round to prevent swamp stink.
 

ChazzC

Well-Known Member
Ponds are also known as mosquito farms. Our small pond has a snapper or two and lots of greens and bullfrogs. Still there are more mosquitoes than I care to count!
Pierre
Fountain spray will help keep mosquitoes away and aerate the water as well.
 

Ironman

Ultra Member
I have two ponds on my place, not lakes. They are 80-100 ft across. The mosquitoes think it is a great place to have sex and raise families. But, alas for the frogs feel the same way and make larva sandwiches, and so the perfect balance reached, is no bugs and an army of frogs.
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
To this dryland prarie dog that sounds like an OCEAN!
I’m waiting to hear what the ocean is like from 2 foster teenagers my Sister in law has. They left Monday for a five day sailing lesson on the Salt training vessel in Victoria.
 

trevj

Ultra Member
Honestly, if I thought the pond contributed to the local mosquito population, I would have burned the area down years ago. Like, half inch of gasoline, on top of the water. Times 15 Acres! Expensive!

But really, it doesn't actually contribute to the local population all that much!

A couple old tires sitting gathering rain will give you a bunch more mosquitoes than a pond will!
 

wmetfab

Well-Known Member
I have experienced that here in BC on the property where I live thers about 1 ac. ephemeral pond. We have pacific tree frogs and endangered spadefoot toads.
The croaking is quite funny, one will start then they all join in. They get disturbed by something then they stop for a moment or two and it begins again. It dies down by 1 or 2 am I suppose as it gets cooler at night. It lasts for about 3 or 4 weeks in the spring
If someone has never experienced or heard this its quite a novelty.
When we first moved here in 1978 it was wayy louder than today, it was literally deafening almost. There were so many and lots of western painted turtles as well.
Now its greatly subdued a fraction of what it was. The turtles are pretty much gone now.
When the frogs and other animals are all gone its going to be bad for us humans as well
 
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