Build a frog pond

Having a frog pond full of frogs in your backyard is a joy few of us think of when planning our gardens.
Having a frog pond is fun, allows you to do your bit for the conservation of wildlife and is a great conversation point when strolling around your garden with friends. Children can be fascinated for hours giving you a much-needed rest.
Frogs can be easily attracted to your garden whether you live in the country or the city.
You can design ponds for different types of frogs. There are two types of frogs, ground dwelling and tree frogs. A raised pond will only allow tree frogs in while a sunken pond will suit those frogs that like to keep their feet on the ground. A pond with a lot of vegetation such as reeds will attract swamp-loving frogs.
Frogs will then naturally gravitate towards your pond. However, if there is a delay in colonisation, it may be due to the local population’s severe depletion. If this is the case, you can introduce some locally caught tadpoles from the area. Only catch local tadpoles because the introduction of a new species to the area may have catastrophic effects on the existing populations.
Most states have some protection on frogs and tadpoles, so please check with your local wildlife authorities because you may need a permit.
When the tadpoles start to turn into frogs, keep the area around the pond well watered and damp. This will boost their survival chances.
Frogs are nocturnal; therefore, they need some protection provided for them during the day. You will need to add bark, branches or rocks to the pond to allow the frogs protection when asleep.
Frogs are easy to keep fed and it is a joy to see them leap at their prey.
Small species of frogs can survive on fruit fly. The serious frogger can breed fruit fly for the purpose. For those of us who do not want to go to the trouble of breeding insects, frogs will eat mosquito larvae as they emerge into mosquitoes. Frogs will eat other insects such as spiders, moths, grasshoppers and so forth. However, most frogs will only eat live prey. Do not use insects sprayed with insecticide – it may be your pet frog’s last meal.
If your frogs are quite different in size, keep the small separated from the large. The larger frogs may eat the smaller.
The actual pond building does not require a great deal of effort. You can find many books in your local library on how to build a fishpond. Make the frog pond the same way. However, it is not wise to mix fish and frogs together, as the fish will eat any frogs’ eggs. Finally, frogs need to, unlike fish, to be able to get out of the pond from time to time. Therefore, make it possible for them to get out by having a stick or some such half in and half out of the water.
Enjoy your frogs. They are fascinating creatures and an important part of the environment and best of all they will keep mosquito numbers down to let you get good nights sleep.