How far do I have to move frogs so they don’t come back to the pond?

Answer

Dear Wilfried,

Why are those frogs “superfluous”? Moving frogs is punishable in our country. However, some people are bothered by nocturnal frog croaking. I’m guessing this is your motive too? It is the green frogs that produce this “noise”. Although they are clearly more water-bound than their brown relatives, they too can move smoothly over land (especially in humid weather) and quickly reach new or different pools. This allows them to bridge great distances. This ensures that moving these animals makes little sense. In theory you could move all the adult animals to a far away place, but if there are other pools with frogs in the area, this is not only forbidden, but also an endless, pointless activity. That’s why I’m afraid you learn to live better with this nature sound. It’s a bit between the ears, too, isn’t it? I personally find frog croaking very soothing to fall asleep to. Also know that these frogs are also useful: their fatheads eat the algae that would otherwise turn your pond into a pea soup slurry and the adult frogs eat a lot of insects such as mosquitoes.

Sincerely,

Jeroen

Jeroen Speybroeck PhD
Institute for Nature and Forest Research – INBO
Hyla workgroup employee