Pond and very loud tree frog noise

I'm really doubtful there's a good answer to this other than, you should have your pond far away from where you want to be in the evening.  So this is mostly to get this off my chest.

We have a pond near our communal buildings that has frogs in it, and from early spring through fall, the frogs make a very loud din every evening, and sometimes all day on rainy days.  It's beautiful and I love the frogs, and, they're so loud that it sometimes drives me nuts, and makes conversation difficult.

One of the purposes of the pond is a 70k gal water reservoir hooked to sprinklers on the buildings for fire protection, so we don't want to just fill it in.

Here are some ideas I've had.  Most of them are really dumb and kind of a joke but I let my mind go all over.  ;)

1. Is there a way to change the conditions of the pond just enough to still be a habitat for wildlife, but not be suitable for the tree frogs?  I'd hate to do this, but it would be better than no pond.  I realize that maybe the frogs eat mosquitoes and this could lead to lots more mosquitoes.
One idea was changing the ph of the water just enough, but that could be really dangerous to the creek that the pond overflows into during winter storms.  Though, maybe putting enough tanoak and redwood bark/leaves into the pond could make it acidic enough to kill the frogs, and still be somewhat natural and diluted enough during a huge rainstorm that causes overflow, as not to harm the creek. ?!   I wonder how much material that would require :p

2. Maybe some kind of targeted natural frog bait/poison combo... hard to imagine anything that wouldn't

3. I've wondered if maybe there aren't always all that many frogs and I could find them by the noise and kill them myself with a squirt of vinegar or something, when we want it to be quiet for a gathering.  I doubt I could bring myself to do this.

4. The pond is frequently used by wild ducks, and salamanders and newts, occasionally a heron, etc.  Are there any specific wildlife that would dramatically reduce the frog population?

5. A soundproof wall/barrier between the pond and our communal outdoor kitchen/fire ring.  Sadly these are right by the pond.  Maybe a weatherproof, soundproof curtain?  There's a clump of redwoods between the kitchen and pond that could anchor this.  I feel like a curtain, that we could put up just when we need it, would be a lot nicer and easier than building a permanent wall there.  Though, not natural.

6. Drain the pond, put a roof over it and turn it into an awkwardly shaped cool cellar.  Very expensive and we'd lose our fire protection and all that habitat.

7. High tech frog-noise-cancellation device?  ick

8. High tech frog-detector-laser-beam contraption?  ick

9. Wear ear plugs and don't try to talk in the evening.  Meh.

10. Change our schedules to not be near the pond in the evening.. this has the most promise - it's nice to eat a meal in the evening and sit by the fire, but maybe we finish cooking/eating before the frogs start, and then go have an evening fire or walk somewhere else on the land, and/or get to bed early.

11. Go to a lot of concerts so my sensitive hearing gets worn down and I don't notice the frogs so much.

Anyone have other ideas?


Word of warning:  Don't put a pond too near your home or your home too near a pond!

Philip, I don't have an answer for you but...I FEEL YOUR PAIN!! Nature is so awesome until it totally gets on your last nerve!! What was Mother Nature thinking? We have cicadas. I'm sure they have some great purpose in the ecosystem but they are just plain awful. Most years I can live with it and some years they are fairly quiet but some years are so terrible!! After listening to them all day I am in such a terrible mood. And one year they got so loud I put in earplugs every day as I went into the garden. And it turns out they can be so loud that they permanently damage your hearing!  

I really hope someone gives you a really good answer soon. We all have to find ways to deal with the surprises that Mother Nature throws at us... but she has a really sick sense of humor sometimes! I wish you well, my friend.

Consider that just having a large frog population is a sign that your environment is healthy. A decline in the number of frogs would be a sign that something is wrong. Frogs are the best environmental indicator that we have.

If you normally lived or slept by the pond, your mind would tune out the extra noise pretty quickly. You can also examine the health of the frogs as an indicator also. They will show signs of mutation if there is a problem or toxin the environment.

The periodical cicadas are dying from a mysterious  fungus called Massospora cicadina, leaving them unable to mate.

William Kellogg wrote:
If you normally lived or slept by the pond, your mind would tune out the extra noise pretty quickly.

I like this answer and I would wish that.  It's been three years of living and sleeping by the pond almost the whole time since we filled it.  One year I was sleeping outside about 100ft from the pond and it got to where I moved my bed off into the woods for the summer to get away from the noise because it was hard to sleep.  I think because they are silent for almost half the year, and during their long season it's not constant, it's always on, off, on, off.  Like if someone were to run a chainsaw nearby you for 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off, every evening.  I am not sure one could get used to that without just dulling one's hearing altogether.  

Debbie Ann wrote:Philip, I don't have an answer for you but...I FEEL YOUR PAIN!! Nature is so awesome until it totally gets on your last nerve!! What was Mother Nature thinking?  

One idea I had is that perhaps mother nature doesn't want people living too close to ponds, because they'll pollute them.  In this case, the pond was artificially created here by humans who didn't think about the frog noise until it was too late!

Agreed on don't build too close to the pond.

Try recording the sound and playing it back over a loud speaker pointed in the direction of the frogs and see if the noise is reduced.

A noise blocking wall could also be erected if pond or building relocation isn't possible.

Phillip, if you can't beat them join them.

Get a recording of white noise and play it all night when trying to sleep.

Or try this:



Rainstorm Sounds for Relaxing, Focus or Deep Sleep

I would also go with earplugs or white noise. My brother in law had a weekend home in the rainforest where there are blacksmith tree frogs (noise sounds like hitting an anvil, ABSURD noise levels). The first night there, nobody sleeps.
But it's not constant, like you say, and the fact that they're there is important- they're environmental indicators, they control the mosquitoes that could get us all sick, etc. As they get more abundant more herons and waterbirds and other predators will show up.
I think it's a question of trying to embrace it instead of fighting it. (you could go out there and thrash the reeds at night, they'll shut up for a few minutes but their biological imperatives will surely have them croaking again immediately.)

You are lucky to have the abundant water, not all frogs are that fortunate...

The challenge could be just a barrier to overcome within yourself that will give you strength. But I still think the counter-noise sound waves and a strategic sound wall could be worthwhile effort. Nothing ventured / nothing gained.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

We have burrowing frogs which are usually less than an inch long and when it is raining and just after rain, so mating time, the calls are deafening.  We have learned to just accept that it is what it is.  We used to live under an airport flight path and just keep the conversation up which amazed guests.  They got distracted by the noise and lost the conversation.  The frogs and crickets here are the same, they are just a part of the background noise.  The brain is really amazing, it can only focus on one thing at a time so meditate the frog sounds out of your present hearing.

The other issue may be the house construction/ dimensions so there is a reverb, which is felt rather than heard. Try adding a soft barrier between the house and the frogs to act as a dampener.  A heavy vine, that is productive such as grapes, kiwi fruit or the like will give a two for one reward.  Frogs will not be as active in the winter so even if it drops leaves, you get mulch. Our closest pond is just 20 feet from the bedroom and we have hanging pots around.
Best wishes.

I have a pond on my place and sometimes I go outside at night and yell "shut up!" at the frogs because it gets so loud. But it only lasts tops one minute.

What I have come to believe is you just have to bare it. As said it is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

Phillip, thank your lucky stars you have frogs taking care of mosqutoes.   Your life would be a nightmare if they didn't.  And since we are sharing this planet with the creatures who live on it with us....these are your roommates.

Not all years will be the same.  It doesn't last all that long, depending on the season.

As soon as the herons, egrets, snakes, foxes, predatory birds and other predators find that you have frogs it will hopefully get under control.

Yes, it can be loud, but there are so many more advantages to having a pond that it can outweigh the noise.  Nature is not as quiet as we seem to think it is.

If you have enough room between your kitchen/ fire pit and the pond, and straw bales are availble at a reasonable price in your area, a strawbale wall should reduce the noise quite a bit.

So far I did not see anyone suggesting to control the Tadpole population , not sure if the frog population will be impacted but worth a try. Froigs lay hundreds to thousands of eggs. I've heard but not tried yet that a couple of catfish will keep the tadpole population to very low numbers, maybe worth a try.....

Many species of snakes eat frogs, you could introduce them to the area. Mabie some kind of water snake?