stusi
|
posted on July 30, 2001 07:32:03 PM new
Right outside our front door we have a garden courtyard-maybe 6'x8'. For the past few nights we have noticed the unpleasant odor of what we believe is frog waste. What can we spray or put down that would not kill the frogs or harm the plants?
|
JMHO2
|
posted on July 30, 2001 07:53:40 PM new
Stusi, frog waste? I didn't think it smelled, but clorox might do the trick. Also try scattering some moth balls around the flowers, etc and see if that won't repel them, as well as any other living thing.
We used to live in an apt with a small garden courtyard too and every evening frogs would line up in a semi-circle facing the west. They were fascinating, but after awhile kind of scary. I mean, what were they doing?
|
gravid
|
posted on July 30, 2001 07:59:47 PM new
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin?
|
hepburn
|
posted on July 30, 2001 08:41:08 PM new
I never heard of frog waste. But there is a smell in my back patio area that smells of...snails. Is there such an odor? Maybe so.
|
KatyD
|
posted on July 30, 2001 08:50:07 PM new
Well, since we're talking about unwanted critters, does anyone have any tips to keep skunks out of their yards? We're having a terrible skunk problem this summer. Every night you can smell them. They dig up my yard, and the other night when hubby let the dog out there was one right in the middle of the yard, and the dog of course went after it. Luckily, my husband grabbed her before she got sprayed. You see them every night waddling down the sidewalks like they own the neighborhood. Hubby caught one a couple of weeks ago in a trap he set, and he took it to a slough and released it, but all his friends and family are still around. 
KatyD
|
krs
|
posted on July 30, 2001 08:51:29 PM new
Be happy that you have it, Stusi. Frog waste is a good organic fertilizer and serves as food for snakes. These snakes in turn eat rats, which carry a variety of diseases injurious to man. So that frog waste could save your life one day. Try to save it. It keeps well if refrigerated, but if left to dry it can also be used as a tasty topping when sprinkled over a bowl of ice cream or other treat.
|
hepburn
|
posted on July 30, 2001 08:56:06 PM new
It might add pizazz to mud pies too. Wonder if snail slime would be a good inner layer of the pie?
|
spazmodeus
|
posted on July 30, 2001 09:25:51 PM new
Powdered ox blood (purchase this at a garden store) works as a repellent for various mammals, squirrel and deer, in particular. Maybe it'll work for skunks too. Just sprinkle it around the areas you wish to protect. You have to re-sprinkle every couple of weeks.
|
KatyD
|
posted on July 30, 2001 09:28:56 PM new
Thanks, Spaz. We dont' have deer or squirrels, just skunks and possums and tree rats. I'll see if they have any at the nursery.
KatyD
|
bitsandbobs
|
posted on July 30, 2001 10:55:42 PM new
Toad Stools!
Bob, Downunder but never down.
|
Femme
|
posted on July 31, 2001 04:49:01 AM new
LOL, Bob.
You are so warped.
I like that in a man.
--------
KRS is right about the topping for ice cream.
Especially appropriate when serving frog legs for the entree.
|
stusi
|
posted on July 31, 2001 05:41:35 AM new
hepburn- it could be snails...
JMHO2- my wife spread moth balls around last night..waiting for the results
bitsandbobs- LOL
krs- you always come through with the voice of reason; i just set you up for another one(see above)
|
Femme
|
posted on July 31, 2001 07:21:30 AM new
KatyD
I would bet you have a grub problem.
To get rid of the skunks, you will have to treat your lawn to get rid of the grubs.
We had a major problem when we bought our house, which had an established, 10-year-old lawn.
We would get up in the morning and see patches of lawn dug up. Having never had a grub problem in our previous home with a much older lawn, we were perplexed.
I called the county extension officer and he cut out a patch to show us there was more thatch than soil. While beautiful, it was very unhealthy. It was an acre of heaven for grubs and a feast every night for skunks and a red fox.
Apparently, the previous owner over fed the lawn and never dethatched or aerated. It was beautiful, but unhealthy.
Those critters completely tore up the front lawn. We had to have it completely dug up and reseeded.
My husband and I rented an aerator and then treated the whole yard every August for grubs. It took a couple of years of diligence, but we haven't had a problem since.
We dethatch the lawn every Spring, feed only once in the Spring and once in the Fall, and still treat for grubs every August, just in case...
|
Borillar
|
posted on July 31, 2001 07:29:30 AM new
stusi, it's not likely to be a frog problem. With all of the pollution, the frog population in the wild has been all, but totally eliminated. If you really are experiencing frog problems, take your kids to go see the last of a dying genre' of animal life, because their kids won't get to see any in the wild.
|
JMHO2
|
posted on July 31, 2001 08:00:50 AM new
Here I spend at least $5 a can for escargot (snails) to cook as an appetizer and Hepburn has them crawling her walls for free.
Just remove from shell, cut the head off, wash and boil. Then cook in butter/garlic sauce and serve over broiled mushrooms.
Snails do have an odor. Frogs have to have waste or else they'll die. rofl
Mothballs work for a variety of rodents and other critters. They also keep people from staying overnight at my hubby's sister's house. She keeps them opened in her guest room and closets. *CHOKE*
|
KatyD
|
posted on July 31, 2001 09:58:57 AM new
Femme Yes! My husband says the skunks are digging for grubs. Our lawn DOES need thatching and aerating. Every year we say we are going to do it, but then we don't. And it IS an old lawn. I had no idea that this had to do with the skunk problem but it makes sense. Our next door neighbor hasn't had a skunk problem this year. His backyard is mostly dirt because he tore it up for a remodeling and room addition project, and is going to be relandscaping. So I guess the skunks consider his to be slim pickins while ours is the horn of plenty. Thanks for your advice!
KatyD
|
Femme
|
posted on July 31, 2001 01:53:47 PM new
You're welcome, KatyD.
Good luck!!!
|
Muriel
|
posted on August 1, 2001 07:08:55 AM new
This is the most entertaining thread I've read in a long time. "Toad stools"! Good one, Bob!! 
[ edited by Muriel on Aug 1, 2001 07:09 AM ]
|
stusi
|
posted on August 1, 2001 10:02:13 AM new
Borillar- here in south Florida we actually have an abundance of frogs/toads including a species called "boofas"(sp?), which if bitten by dogs will cause serious reactions including possibly death. BTW- we now have the night air filled with that new fragrance- Eau d'Naphthalene!!!!!
|
