How to Keep Frogs Out of Your Pool

So you have your amazing backyard pool and the kids are in it all the time.  But every morning you are finding frogs or worse, dead frogs, in the pool.  Why?  Well, that is easy, frogs are after bugs and bugs like the standing water.  But the bigger question is, what can you do about these frogs?  Well, we made it our mission to find that answer for you this week!  We did some digging (and some thinking) and found this article that was originally posted to swimuniversity.com.

Got frogs in your pool? One of the most common pests you will find hanging in and around your pool are frogs. There is just something about a nice, large, refreshing pool that attracts frogs from all over. Of course, what ends up happening is you must continually remove dead frogs from your pool, which isn’t the most thrilling of tasks to say the least.

While frogs are a relatively benign threat to pools, they can be a nuisance. Let’s explore why frogs love your pool so much and look at a few steps you can take to get rid of them once and for all.

Why Do Frogs Love Swimming Pools?

Have you ever wondered why frogs always seem to end up in your pool? The reasons are quite simple – food and water. At night, the water in your pool acts like a giant reflector to any light source that is close by. This attracts bugs who discover a gigantic watering hole where they can steal a drink or two. This influx of bugs at night then attracts the frogs who eat the bugs as their main food source.

The bugs get them there, but then they also discover a giant watering hole where they can even take a swim. What they don’t realize is they can’t get out once they dive in. In the end, most will simply drown in the pool leaving it up to you to remove them from your pool, and that’s definitely not the most fun task you will do on even your worst of days.

Are Frogs Bad for Your Pool?

The good news is the frogs aren’t actually bad for your pool. In fact, they actually eat a lot of bugs that you would normally have to clean from your pool making your job a little easier. When they do drown, the water circulation will often bring their bodies into the skimmer making it relatively easy to clean, even if it is a little gross.

If you are concerned about disease because of the frogs, don’t be. The chemicals in your pool will take care of any pesky bacteria that may be hiding out on the frog and most don’t carry anything harmful to humans anyway.

9 Simple Methods to Reduce Frogs in Your Pool

Just because they aren’t bad for the pool, that doesn’t mean you are automatically alright with becoming the frog mortician for your home, cleaning up body after body after body. There are ways you can reduce the number of frogs around your pool, however. Let’s take a look at some of the best methods you can employ to reduce the frog population around your swimming hole.

1. Install a Fence

Installing a fence around the perimeter of your pool area is a great first step in frog defense and it also makes your pool much safer and more secure in the process. Solid wood fences are your best option to keep frogs away as small frogs could still slip through the holes in chain link fencing.

2. Use a Cover

At night or whenever you are not using your swimming pool, consider pulling a cover over it to prevent bugs and frogs from entering your pool. These covers should be easy to install and remove but still fastened securely to children and animals can’t accidentally slip under them and get trapped in the pool.

3. Clear Out Weeds

Frogs love to hide in weeds and brush piles. If you want to reduce your frog population, remove any weeds and carefully landscape your garden areas using ammonia-based fertilizer to discourage the frogs from hiding their as well.

4. Turn Off Lights

The lights in and around your pool attract bugs who then begin using your pool as a drinking fountain. This attracts the frogs to your pool as they look to feast on the bugs and take a drink and a swim while they are there.

When you aren’t using your pool, make sure all lights around the pool and even in the pool are turned off so fewer bugs are attracted to your pool.

5. Salt or Vinegar

Create a mixture of salt and water or add vinegar to a spray can and spray it around the entire perimeter of your pool. Once these mixtures dry, it will leave a substance on the ground that will burn the frog’s feet when they touch it. This will send them the opposite away from your pool.

6. Install a Fountain or Waterfall

Frogs are attracted to insects. And insects are attracted to stagnant water. So if you keep the water in your pool moving, it will be hard for insects to lay eggs and create more bugs to attract more frogs. The circle of life (holding up a young Simba)!

7. Heat Up Your Pool Water

Believe it or not, frogs hate hot water. I guess because they’re cold blooded. Either way, keeping your pool warm will help keep frogs away. Which I’m sure is great for you because who doesn’t like a nice warm pool?

I recommend using a solar cover. It will heat your pool and act as a cover to keep the frogs away. You can also use solar rings, which acts like a solar cover but is easier to take on and off the pool.

If you want to make the investment, go for a real pool heater. I wrote a massive guide on how to buy the best pool heater here and linked below.

8. Buy a Frog Log

If you have a problem with a lot of dead frogs in your pool, you can install a simple little device to allow them to climb out of your pool so they don’t drown. Of course, this only works if there are frogs in your pool. If you follow the steps above, hopefully they’ll never enter your pool in the first place.

9. Relocate

If frogs are becoming a huge problem in your backyard because of your pool, you could just move. Pack up all your belongings, find a new place to live, hire a moving company, and you’re all set.

Just kidding! But it IS an option 😉

What About Finding Frog Eggs In Your Pool?

A pool owner reached out to me on Facebook and sent me these photos. She had no idea what she was skimming out of her pool.

She was skimming out frog eggs. Lots of them!

If you follow all the steps above for keeping frogs out of your pool, you won’t deal with frog eggs. Frogs create frog eggs — who knew? However, if you end up with frog eggs in your pool, skim them out like the photo above and place them far away from you pool in a more suitable habitat for the frog babies.

While it may be impossible to completely rid your pool of frogs, taking the steps above can definitely help you reduce your frog population so your pool doesn’t become known as the grim reaper of frogs. Remember, the frogs won’t hurt you so if you do see one swimming in your pool, try to remove it before it drowns. Just take it somewhere away from your pool area before you release it.

We hope that this helps keep the frogs out of your pool!  If you need assistance with any of the steps above, be sure to contact us right away so that we can schedule an appointment to come and assess your needs!