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Hi all, I'm putting a small pond in my allotment in the hope of attracting frogs because I've heard they're good at keeping pests at bay. The allotment is a good way from houses, so don't think I'll get waves of sleep-deprived residents descending on me like something from a Romero film...

Anyone got any advice please? I was informed that certin kinds of leaves are poisonous to them, but the informer couldn't inform me which ones - he'd forgotten! You can google stuff like this all day, but it's so much better hearing it from people who have done it...

Cheers,

Jason.

you don't,necessarily,need a pond to attract frogs.They will appear out of nowhere,& quite happily take up residence in a heap of old (rotting) leaves, & live on all slugs/snails etc. They only need the water to breed.

Finally got my pond put in and very cheaply too, ended up using an old bath with black plastic pond liner and sandstone edging, all of which were left on the site from the previous owner. Don't know why I didn't think of that before! lol. I've put slopes either end so that the frogs/toads can access it.

Glad to here it, sound like your pond is quite a beautiful one.

Putting in a pond is quite simple really, when you know the basics... Mine is now nicely overgrown, I can't see it anymore, it is probably a haven for certain creatures.

As for leaves being poisonous... well most animals are pretty good at avoiding stuff that is bad for them... humans excepted

I'm very sceptical about frogs being voracious eaters of slugs. I have a pond and lots of frogs, but I also have slugs in Pharonic numbers. I have yet to see a frog chowing down on a slug.

Does anybody have any evidence that frogs and toads are at all effective?

Rod in Japan wrote:I'm very sceptical about frogs being voracious eaters of slugs. I have a pond and lots of frogs, but I also have slugs in Pharonic numbers. I have yet to see a frog chowing down on a slug.

Does anybody have any evidence that frogs and toads are at all effective?

Nope - got to agree with you there - as a quite revolting child I often picked up toads - real ones, not the metaphorical variety of later life! - and I can remember one toad cowering in the corner of a tin (temporary home) trying desperately to escape the large black slug which I had offered it for lunch ..............................

I think I have the evidence. We just don't have slugs and snails. We have, admittedly, a large number of frogs and we encourage the thrushes too, but the fact remains - no slugs.

EDIT: Oh, incidentally, the large black slugs don't do any damage. It's the little buggers you're after.

I've seen thrushes eating garden molluscs. But not frogs or toads. Could you possibly send me a breeding pair of thrushes? Thanks.

A breeding pair of thrushes?? Given you're in Japan, old English jokes about Japanese pronunciation could be raised - but I won't

And no, you're right - thrushes don't eat frogs and toads

my mum has a frog pond and she certainly doesn't have any problems with slugs. That's evidence enough for me.