Coqui Frog News

La Nina coming

2010-12-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

The La Nina weather conditions are coming...basically this means wetter/colder conditions then we have been experiencing this past year. The frogs will be on the move and we'll find out just how bad the infestation is. Governor Abercrombie has appointed Senator Russell Kokubun to head the Department of Agriculture which can only give us a better chance at raising the interest in eradicating this invasive spp.

A different female

2010-06-08T14:19:00.001-07:00

These 5 are all mottled...

Here's a non-typical female coqui with "palomino" type patches on her. This area has a high percentage of the mottled type frogs that don't change skin color even with temperature changes.
The male and 2 other females mottled skin were much more visable until it started to heat up but as you can see the other 2 are still showing the pattern and never change. So....camoflage = better survival rate..= pass on the stronger skin pigment or?? let's get that grant and study it!

Large female

2010-05-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

And tennis ball from the dog...

Caught this female tonight and measured her against a quarter then laid out on a ruler.
No eggs yet so she'll get even bigger in the next few weeks.

Interviews

2010-04-08T11:26:00.001-07:00

I recently was interviewed by Sherry Bracken with Hawaii Public Radio and Dan Cook with KGMB Sunrise Morning Show and wanted to thank both of them. Sherry did a great job editing my ramblings into a 30 minute segment and Dan was a quick study on the issues(especially LIVE!). I was able to catch a male on the Naniloa hotel grounds and spotted several others but time was tight...it was perfect frog catching weather.
Thanks.

I am working with Lyle Wong of the DOA and a mainland company to get a workable formualtion of sodium bicarbonate for use against the coqui...let's hope this cooperation keeps up and things work out for the islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
I'm contacting agencies in PR in hopes of getting a regular shipment of frogs back to them so we have all our bases covered to first control,then eradicate,then help repopulate these interesting frogs back where they are loved and belong.

Making your frog ears

2010-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick photo tutorial of sorts showing the parts needed to constuct some "frog ears".
1)The top photo has a wooden handle glued on to help reduce noise from your handling(try it and see if you need this mod).
2)Pictures 2/3/4 below it shows the unit with the label sanded off ready to glue the handle on and also "close up" with the foam windscreen taken off so you can cut/drill a hole in the t*pperware bowl and insert the unit. I used shoe goop as it seems to work well with the two types of plastic. *note:the tape is to keep water/chemicals out of the battery compartment.
3)Pictures 5/6 shows the unit as you recieve it,notice the label on the back that can be sanded to rough up the plastic for glueing a handle on, also the backside is sanded for glueing to the bowl.

*note:I've wasted a few bowls as the drilling/cutting can crack it...so go slow and cut with a piece of wood supporting the back.
That's it...
Technique's for using this in the field:
move from left to right first to get the general direction of the caller.
keep doing this until you need to turn down the volume(thumbwheel on unit).
then up/down and left/right to pinpoint the exact spot if you're planning on hand capturing it.
at the same time look at the surrounding area (5 foot circumference) for any females or immatures as they'll be hanging around the general area.
It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but I usually keep 2 with me because it sure saves time/frustration when locating the male.
bowl $2
glue $5
sonic ear $25-$45 plus shipping
triple A battery comes with unit and last a looooong time.

immature coqui with a dime

2010-03-04T00:09:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 immature coqui's I caught tonight within a foot of each other,they would be the calling males in 6-7 months that annoy you. Most likely from the same batch of eggs they're pictured in a plastic mayonaise jar with a dime between them to show their size. These small ones and the females are what you really need to control as they move silently into your area unlike the male. So when you hear males in the distance think about slowly walking the areas you've already treated to check for any immatures like these and stray females, the better the flashlight the greater the chance of spotting them. I don't use a M*glight as they're bulbs aren't bright/white enough, the newer style 3-4 watt double/triple A battery models are worth the $30-$40 price tag.

County Council Meeting

2010-03-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

Attended the CC meeting and met some new folks with new ideas, much needed. Dr. Davis brought in "ACS" or acidified calcium sulfate which has gotten great results from the people using it so keep an ear open for the progress of this as it moves thru. Also met the State Coqui Coordinator, Raymond, who is working with a minimal crew towards keeping the native forest coqui free. People are still in groups using the county sprayers but may lose them to the budget crunch happening everywhere, let's hope they don't give up. Brenda Ford is working towards raising the awareness of the coqui frog issues and keep the public informed.
As stated earlier in this blog California has made the coqui a "restricted" pest and you need a permit to transport it, this is potentially bad news as our shipments pass through their ports and coqui's can survive for months with no food or water. Several areas in CA have established populations now and like us don't have the funds to do a sufficient job in controlling it.
As a side note Waimanalo on Oahu has reported the coqui's getting worse and the map of infestations on that island is growing much as it did here, they need to use more than just citric acid or they'll end up just like the Big Island....
Let's get our States Senior Senators looking at this and perhaps the White House can give us some relief...please.

Females caught 2 nights in a row.

2009-10-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we tend to focus on the males because of the loud calls but the females are also an important part of the issue. When you find the male take some time and look around the general area slowly for any females that maybe hanging around. I found all of these (7 total) very near calling males within 5 feet and some less than a foot, usually more than 1 were heading towards the male, 4 of the 7 had eggs. The first picture shows a female on the underside with eggs (lighter mass towards rear)the other is a male sitting on a quarter surrounded by females.

Blower has changed!

2009-09-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

The new Ry*bi leaf blower/mulcher has changed for 2009...it no longer has a foam filter for the carb. The top photo shows the new type with the white soda covering the intake, the bottom photo shows the "old" style with the foam filter that helps block the soda from entering the intake.This needs to be modded by adding a suitable "foam" dust filter for 2 cycle machines to stop the soda from entering the carb. There still maybe older models available, just check before you buy.
Mahalo, Kookee

Kona Frog Control Groups

2009-09-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Talked with the groups from Captain Cook about coqui control methods along with others who graciously shared there experience to the over 100 people attending. Here's their blogspot address... http://hawaiicoquifrogblog.blogspot.com
Mahalo to Jimmy,Jean,Bob,and Kathryn
ps. great 100% Kona coffee!

Female eating male

2009-07-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Had put these 3 coqui's into a plastic container to take photographs and left them overnight and in the morning found that the larger female was attempting to eat the male. The second photo is of the 2 females with the regurgitated partially digested male, I thought she would have perished with her mouth opened like that for approx. 24hours.

Hawaii Reporter Coqui article

2009-02-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

Malia Zimmerman was on KHON's news the other week saying how she had a male coqui calling in her yard...then after 3 days it stopped calling, I emailed her and said "let's hope it's not sitting on eggs" and gave her my blogspot address. She emailed me back asking if I'd like to write a short couple of paragraphs about the coqui..so here's the link to the story. In the same story Gene Ward has started a coqui watch group for the HawaiiKai area and I've included his link as well.
Nice to see communities starting early on this issue.

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?23f7a6b0-f317-4e9c-9623-5ebd395072d4
http://www.genewardhawaii.com

The Vanishing Frog by Jeff Corwin

2008-12-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Found this link to "How Stuff Works" that had Jeff Corwins Animal Planet special in full! Please take the time to watch this, it's about 54 minutes in length. You may have to copy the link and paste it into your browser.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/animal-planet/34450-the-vanishing-frog-with-jeff-corwin-video.htm

This next link is to a San Juan Star article written by Jason Simms a freelance writer, the link is to his blog with a copy of the article. It states that the Neverland hotel has coqui's.

http://simmantics.blogspot.com/2008/10/coquis-in-california.html

Finally this one is a link to the PIJAC and how the CA Fish & Game Commission has listed the coqui as a "restricted list for importation, transportation or possession"
The new restrictions went into effect April 12,2008.

http://www.pijac.org/files/public/CA_Species.pdf

Hawaii should be concerned as California now has a reason to refuse shipments because of coqui's, not only on plants but in household items,cars,pallets ect. With the coqui now being found on Oahu they will only multiply as they did on the Big Island. As to their ability to survive the drier climate...they do fine in Kona.

Roof rat and 5 coqui's.

2008-12-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

In this video you have a roof rat and 5 coqui frogs. At first the rat seems disinterested, but after it eats one coqui the rest are easy prey.

Frogs and Carbon dioxide

2008-12-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

Household vinegar mixed with baking soda can be used to anaesthetise frogs or even kill them in their tanks if the air circulation is poor and CO2 is allowed to build up. A PhD student uses it to anaesthetise tarantulas prior to implanting a microchip
tracker. Here's the link to her blog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2008/08/13/frog_blog_feature.shtml

I've got a quick video on youtube showing the process.

CO2

Another youtube video by Ms.SC and Company

2008-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

A humorous look at possible solutions to the so...

Twas The Night BeFrog Xmas

2008-12-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

Gather around children and "hear" the fairytale of 'The Night BeFrog Xmas' as read by Ms.S.C. herself. Thanks to YouTube!
Mele Kalikimaka, Ko-kee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkAdTkASN5I

YouTube Coqui Eradication video

2008-11-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

I made a quick video showing how the coqui can be safely eradicated using sodium bicarbonate/baking soda and a $130 leaf blower/mulcher.
Here's the YouTube link to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DN9xEZWqZw

Amphibian Ark and Clorox..Arm and Hammer?

2008-11-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is for Church and Dwight parent company to Arm and Hammer who have the ability to grant the State of Hawaii the right to use sodium bicarbonate(baking soda) for the control of an invasive species "the coqui frog". In doing so they would also be helping the possible damage to Hawaii's fragile ecosystem that this invasive will do because of its high numbers (in excess of 10,000/acre)in forested areas where native birds/insects live.
Clorox has joined in with the Amphibian Ark Project and is donating its product for use in cleaning the chytrid fungus(one cause of frog decline)from the equipment used.Baking soda can also be used as a cleaner for this purpose but also as a safe and humane way of dispatching of infected frogs since it's a "naturally occurring compound" refined from the mineral Trona. In doing so this could allow Hawaii the use of this enviroment friendly and effective compound to help rid the Hawaiian Islands of this currently unstoppable pest. The chytrid fungus is not active in the islands but with the continued over crowding of coqui's here something like it may start "a gene for gene hypothesis" or just nature trying to fight back.
Hawaii is still a place where many species of frogs have made a home here but none have the guppy-like breeding ability as the coqui. I still believe the Amphibian Ark could build a Herpetarium on the Kona side of the Big Island to raise the world's endangered frogs...the bonus would be the ability for biologist to come and study our 10,000 flora/fauna only found here "the endangered species capitol of the world". Here's a link to the Amphibian Ark Project's site with the video link...scroll down the right hand side to "The Fungus that kills Amphibians".

http://www.amphibianark.org/frog_gallery.html

Please reconsider your decision and let us use your pesticide label for sodium bicarbonate.
Mahalo, Mark Munekata/Kokee

It's Time for the Public to do Something, get Angry!

2008-11-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

The State of Hawaii is absent from the coqui frog problem, especially when you get further out of urban areas and into the rural/forest area's. At these more remote areas who is taking any responsibility to control the movement. They dumped Citric Acid from helicopters in Manuka State Park spreading the frog outside the park ..saying they got rid of some but had 1000's left which will quickly multiply back to pre-treatment numbers in no time.
You hear the same story that the frog is coming from the Big Island...don't buy plants from there...or if they are certified and/or sprayed with citric acid it's safe..This issue needs to be addressed and the leaders need to have a closer look and bring in outside resources if not just common sense. At least the latest TV news report on KITV had mentioned that the native birds maybe threatened by the coqui and KGMB talked with yet another person with coqui frogs in Kailua (who has caught 10 frogs in the last 2 months) not covered in the papers. In communicating with people on Oahu they have a similar attitude that we here on the Big Island are just now realizing after a decade "It hasn't served us well"...that is let the goverment take care of the problem.
It's our problem, the public and not just the goverments. Roll up your sleeves and join with your neighbors and community to rid the islands of this particular invasive species. Then the next one won"t have an easy time of it..namely the Brown Tree Snake or?

More on Chicken n Frogs by Walker Sanders

2008-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

Coqui Control by Walker Sanders
Coqui infestations are relatively easy to have. It just takes some plant material or construction supplies that carry coqui. Coqui will also hitch a ride on cars and trucks and jump off when the vehicle comes to rest.
The government approved method of control is to spray hydrated lime or citric acid on the affected area. Citric acid is a powerful contact defoliant and leaves a very low soil ph layer.
Both chemical control measures affect the plants they are sprayed on and both are expensive. Neither chemical measure kills all the frogs or eggs so the little critters usually come back within a few months. Many times the farmer or home owner does not want to kill their plants and so decline’s to spray at all, or does so ineffectively. This is particularly true in plant nurseries, where plant damage will wipe out sales.
A much more successful way to control coqui is with game chickens. By setting up some nest boxes and feeding a small amount of scratch once a day, game hens will stay put, lay eggs, hatch out clutches of chicks and spend all day hunting down bugs and frogs in every direction. The nests should be a few feet off the ground and covered from the sun, rain and wind. The first few eggs in the nest box can be identified with a magic marker and most subsequent eggs can be removed to eat. The eggs are white and as large as store bought. When a hen wants to set the clutch, let her set no more than about six eggs. She can set and hatch fifteen or more but six is about all she can raise and protect from mongoose. Hens that are raised in the same area where they were hatched are much more stable, secure and successful with their own brood.
You will initially have high chick mortality due to mongoose predation. Mongoose are relentless chick killers and it is prudent to reduce mongoose population.
The hens need only one rooster to ten or more hens to accomplish this work and the extra young roosters are good eating. One rooster and hen harem can cover an acre of orchard or more. The chickens will spend a considerable amount of time up in and around trees and will roost there every night. Although frogs predominately chirp at night, they also chirp in the morning and before dusk. Males will generally stay put and chirp in an attempt to lure females. It is this female migration that is exploited by the hens. Chickens don’t perform magic, they work hard.
Chickens are virtually cost free, self sustaining and non toxic to our crops and nursery plants. They will dig, scratch and ruin beds of leafy greens so keep them out of the garden. Chickens do not do well if chased by loose dogs.
As you identify where frogs are, throw scratch there, the hens will work the area. Complete coqui eradication is possible after a year or more with a high population of chickens.
At this point you should notice the return of crickets. Perhaps their population is decreased or perhaps they simply cannot be heard over the frogs, but after a year or so, they will be singing loud. Crickets somehow seem to thrive in spite of the onslaught of chickens. You will find that chickens eating frogs, bugs and scratch will have good health, tasty eggs and high flavor. Bon appetite!

Chickens and frogs

2008-10-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Recently visited a gentleman that has successfully ended his neighborhood's infestation of coqui's using chickens. It took him several years to accomplish and keeping upbeat as he was called "crazy" by some...now those same people come knocking asking for some chickens to clean their area. It was so peaceful in his front yard with a dog bark in the distance, crickets here and there
kids laughing....and no loud chirping of the coqui.
Others have reported success to me but they really hadn't done the "chicken wrangling" that was done by Mr. W. His method is to take a small handful of feed and attract the chickens to the area he's heard the frog calling, his flock then stays there until they are moved to the next area; are completely free ranging and roost in the trees. He's seen them scratch up a bunch of immature frogs and eat them all which stops the 8 month bloom that happens normally.
I haven't confirmed the exact breed of chickens but was told it's the common "hawaiian" chicken,with only 1 rooster to keep the flock replenished and the crowing down.
The other benefit is the fresh eggs he gets every morning from his 15 or so hens....hats off to you Mr. W and hope more of you readers will give this a try.
You may want to look at this site which describes Exotic Newcastle's Disease.
http://www.avianbiotech.com/diseases/newcastle.htm
Mahalo, Kokee

Let's have a look at what's going on.

2008-10-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

3% hydrated lime spray has been said to kill 100% of the coqui's now they are saying 6% needs to be used to kill 100%....Citric acid also kills 100% so why do we still have 1000's of frogs after an area has been constantly sprayed? Because neither of these chemicals have a residual/after effect on the frogs nor do they "kill" the frogs...they may chase them away from an area only to have the frogs re-enter...some maybe killed, others will repair/shed their skin and be fine.
They can't do this with sodium bicarbonate and it has a residual/after effect on them as long as it doesn't rain heavy..which we have been having these short term droughts which are a perfect time to get the frogs... Cautiion must be used anytime you are using any chemical..mask, protective clothing ect..also test the area you will be treating to be sure you won't be damaging your plants that you care about(grass is especially suseptible).
Yes the frogs are getting larger and also eating larger prey like honey bees, small lizards, anything that is quick moving and will fit into its mouth. With anywhere from 8000 to 20,000 frogs estimated per acre (each eating 4-6 insects a day) they are capable of wiping out total populations disrupting our fragile ecosystem here in Hawaii. The picture wing fly maybe the poster victim of the coqui...yes they are all living beings but the coqui has a home in Puerto Rico
but this species of picture wing fly only exist here in Hawaii! Yes we can split hairs as to "only exist here" but you get the "picture". Others will say where's the proof that the coqui will eat everything....okay, let's wait and see...after it's established on Oahu, Molokai and all the other islands in the chain then let's try to do something?
Better yet let's fund a bunch of studies and start a bunch of commitee's....
Roll up your sleeves and start working as a community and we can stop this, it will make your community stronger and the next invasive that comes in will not have the chance to get established.
Mahalo, Kookee

Kevin Zippel Director of the Amphibian Ark Project

2008-10-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank Jeff for sending this link...have a look, it's on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baClbjVWn2I

Open Request for Help....

2008-10-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

To Whom It May Concern, This is an open email about the coqui frogs to all who live in Hawaii especially the elected public officials. The public officials should be doing more about this problem, yes "MORE" about this problem...as it has been changed from ERADICATE to CONTROL the funding is quickly drying up. With the recent article about the Picture Wing Fly soon to be added to the Endangered Species list (see attached link) a form of the insect that is only found here and has no defense against the coqui frog, it's past time to act on ERADICATING this frog from the islands. This is possible, the information that is being given to the public is lacking, the coqui's are getting larger, more aggressive in it's feeding habits and quickly adapting to all climatic areas/conditions. Australia has a similar situation with the Cane Toad (link from news.mongobay) and they got them from us!
The Senators/Representatives only need to come up to the Big Island and see for themselves...call me and I'll personally conduct the tour and give them a complete demonstration of how to get rid of/ERADICATE this pest that threatens our fragile and unique ecosystem. The EXPERTS have given up .... don't you think it's worth the trip up here to see if what I'm saying is true?

ps. here's a link to the official EPA blog in favor of the coqui...

http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2008/05/15/keep-the-coqui-alive/
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Dec/03/ln/hawaii712030328.html
http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0417b-tina_butler.html

Mahalo

Kauai's trap

2007-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Kauai's doing a great job in taking care of their investation...all they need now is a dry moat of soda around that trap so the crew can go get some needed rest. The female with eggs is the hardest to get rid of!
http://www.hear.org/kisc/pdfs/20071019coquinews.pdf

Latest comments from the public at the Festival.

2007-11-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

Seems like having free ranging chickens, at least 40-50, have an impact on the ability of the coqui to establish itself. Several people have commented on this and it's not a solution for everyone but it seems to be working for some. This species is now, more than ever, affecting all areas of the Big Island...3000' ft. elevation down to the ocean, Kona to Hilo and all points inbetween....Honolulu residents are getting concerned especially when they visit family up here and HEAR the frog do its thing! Tourist coming here for that "special" Hawaiian vacation are concerned and would like something done to control it. Outer island visitors are also worried that their island will get this way and worry they should.
At the Festival controlling this pest was not the only topic of discussion, how it evades the current treatments and continues to invest new areas, the Amphibian Ark project being built in the Kona desert area, eggs ability to hatch without an adult, why they stop calling, how to do a site survey to monitor your progress, other treatment options/methods....Next summer will be the next Festival, hope to see you there with any new ideas or questions.
Mahalo, Kookee

Thanks to all who came!

2007-11-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

Mahalo to all who came and for all who helped....Stevie,Craig, Mr. C,Ms.S, and the rest. Summer 2008 will be the next one and I hope more will attend to express and share what they've found or questions that have come up.....

The First Unofficial Semi-annual Coqui Frog Festival

2007-11-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hi, As the title states, there will be the 1rst semi-annual festival this November 23, 2007 at Wailoa State Park (large pavilion) in Hilo. It's a celebration of information exchange on the Coqui Frog...demo's, prizes, ect....from 8am to 8pm. Pro and con view points are all welcome.
Hope to see you there.

News articles

2007-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

Japan has discovered the Chytrid fungus...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/01/12/frogs_ani.html?category=animals&guid=20070112150000

Also some are gathering to consider an "Amphibian Ark".
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17166620/
This would be the place to start building it, no fungus here that will kill them or natural predators. Any takers?

Blog maintenance!

2007-02-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

Hi, Thanks for visiting this blog. I'm currently cleaning up some posts and adding new ones if there is something missing it may be returning, come back and see.
And again, thanks...

"The Hawaii Conservation Alliance"

2007-02-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a group that someone had mentioned, so I looked it up, go to their "About HCA"page and you'll find names of the agencies that have started the alliance.

This is their mission statement from that page:
"The Hawaii Conservation Alliance is dedicated to promoting effective, long-term management of Hawaii's native ecosystems through collaborative research, training and outreach among land managers, scientists, educators and the general public."

The link below has some of their pdf documents.
http://www.hawaiiconservation.org/conservationresources.asp

Paula Warren,from New Zealand,was invited by the alliance to do a report on the Biosecurity Systems of Hawaii. Honolulu Weekly has an article on her and some of the findings.
http://honoluluweekly.com/cover/2006/08/snakes-on-a-plane-2/

As always if you don't have Adobe Reader please download it to read these.

May 2006 Star Bulletin article

2006-12-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

I found this article while searching for something else, but after reading it thought it should be posted here.

http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/16/news/story05.html

Some new reading from Nat'l Geographic and others.

2006-11-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to read the Jan. 2006 Nat'l Geographic last week ( my daughter showed it too me) with the article on frog decline worldwide...the links here are partially from that article and a few that came about searching for more information on it. How about putting something up in the driest area in Kona? Also very close to the airport and available for visitors to the island to see.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0105/feature6/

http://amphibiaweb.org/declines/

http://amphibiaweb.org/declines/zoo/index.html

Here's another view of the situation: (you need adobe reader)http://www.springerlink.com/content/h823j141135vh153/fulltext.pdf

And Puerto Rico in 2003 had a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act:http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-12-09.asp#anchor2

The El Nino weather pattern for 06-07 should bring about some interesting topics.
Thanks for reading.

Henry Vilas Zoo

2006-10-08T05:33:00.000-07:00

Have a look at their herpetarium with simulated thunderstorms even...also included is a link to an article explaining the frogs decline worldwide . (previous article removed, dead link).
http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/gallery/henryvilaszoo01.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2057820&page=1

Invasive Species Weblog

2006-10-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Still looking for more information? Have a look at this informative and entertaining weblog by Jennifer Forman Orth, Ph.D. Great stuff.
http://invasivespecies.blogspot.com

After the Coqui is gone

2006-09-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

So when the coqui is no longer here...what then? The Panaewa Rainforest Zoo houses several species of frogs, why not have a place where other countries can send their endangered frogs to be saved and be sent back if needed. It seems that Hawaii is a pretty good place to raise things like frogs, seeds, gmo's (sp). Maybe to soon to even consider this.

Here's a similar situation and possible solutions.

2006-09-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada faced a similar situation but in reverse..sort of. They were losing frogs due to various reasons and are trying to repopulate them but due to what they call "metapopulations" are having to try many different methods.
Hawaii being the unique place that it is could learn from this with the coqui doing the potential harm to our metapopulations. Again, this is an Adobe Acrobat Reader document so please download the reader.

http://www.rbg.ca/pdf/AMPHIBIANS.pdf#search=%22ammonia%20nitrate%20frogs%22

The Disclaimer!

2006-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Of course all of this is just "observations" on my part that I've tried to link up to a reason. So if you have any comments/observations please post them. Some may have different results given all the different factors involved with the coqui habitat here on the Big Island so take all this with how it's given....as a different way to control them. Try it with a 1 pound container and see,
or not.
Thanks

Personal Observations/Information on Coqui Control

2006-09-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

The male is the easiest to exterminate along with the young.
The female is next with the pregnant females(PF) being the hardest.
The PF can go into a hibernation state and recover from a 6% spray of hydrated lime if they have access to water.
Also the PF will retain water for her eggs, giving her an immediate source when sprayed/dusted.
If the seat patch isn’t red then the chances of recovery are pretty good.
Rain or access to water will greatly lower your treatment results, so if raining"don't bother".
Baking Soda dusting of an area is so far the safest/best treatment I've found.
I use a Ryobi Leaf Blower with the mulch attachment ($120 at HomeDepot)
The mulch attachment works like a vacuum and sucks up the soda blowing it out the other end.
The Baking Soda will clog the filter so some modification/cleaning maybe needed.
Individuals with high blood pressure should wear protective gear clothing because of the sodium exposure and the dust.
Plants that are not salt tolerant (soil or wind born) should be tested first and/or rinsed after dusting the morning after.
Another treatment is hot sauce (capsaicin) and ammonia. The brand I use is Crystal from Safeway, it's the cheapest brand that works. The amounts given below have been recently adjusted but the stronger the better!
I put 8 oz HS to approx. 20 oz ammonia(not citrus scented) to 1 gallon water. To this I add some dish soap as a spreader. Again do a test spray on plants you care about.
Eye protection with this treatment and a respirator maybe needed by sensitive individuals.
The frogs go wild with this one.