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Any Y'all live next to a pond?

T

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!
 
trevj said:
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!
Click to expand...
25 acres sounds more like a lake!

As for the croakers, maybe they’re just taking a communal breather?
 
trevj said:
Wish I knew what was making them all shut up at once. Unless it's "Missus Frog" hollering out for her Mister! LOL!
Click to expand...

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.
 
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
 
pdentrem said:
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
Click to expand...

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.

www.mkrittenhouse.com

Aquabac Mosquito Control

Apply Aquabac to the surface of standing water every 7 to 10 days to control mosquito larvae.
www.mkrittenhouse.com www.mkrittenhouse.com

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.

kevin.decelles said:
13 acres on the property for us, same symphony
Click to expand...

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.
 
pdentrem said:
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
Click to expand...
Fountain spray will help keep mosquitoes away and aerate the water as well.
 
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.
 
DPittman said:
To this dryland prarie dog that sounds like an OCEAN!
Click to expand...
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.
www.salts.ca

Learn to sail a tall ship with SALTS

Learn to sail a tall ship! Each year, 1700 young people sail with us to extraordinary places like the Great Bear Rain Forest, Haida Gwaii, and the Gulf Islands.
www.salts.ca www.salts.ca
 
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!
 
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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