Here’s everything you need to know on how to keep frogs out of your pool!

If you’re a pool owner, frogs can be a REAL pain.

That’s because they can’t tell the difference between a pond they can use safely, and a chlorinated swimming hole meant for humans only. Once they hop into the water, there’s no way to jump out because the pool’s edge is too high.

They can’t use the ladder either because froggy brains haven’t sufficiently evolved to the point that they’re smart enough to do this. They’ll keep swimming round and round in circles, looking to prevent their own imminent watery demise, until they get so exhausted, they drown.

Frogs could be a real pain for the pool owners.

Once they’re dead, you’ve got a problem on your hands!

Dead frogs probably don’t harbor any diseases dangerous to humans. However, it’s best to keep any sources of microorganisms from entering your pool in the first place—including bloated frog corpses.

Here are some ways you can keep Kermit and company out of your pool:

1. Turn the lights off.

If you keep your pool lights on all night long, you might as well hang an “ALL YOU CAN EAT FROGGY BUFFET” sign over your pool. That’s because lights attract insects, which in turn attract frogs in droves.

Bugs are attracted to lights because they use the moon to navigate and mistake your pool lights for the moon.

So, lights off when you’re not using your pool!

2. Offer an exit ramp.

This is any device that lets tiny animals easily get out of your pool on their own—including frogs.

You can buy something called “frog logs.” You merely hang one over the pool edge so the slimy rascals can scramble out. Putting one of these ramps into your pool won’t keep frogs out of the water, but it will cut down on the number of dead ones you’ll have to scoop out.

You can also hang a bodyboard halfway over the edge to help your amphibious friends to scamper to safety.

3. Use a pool cover.

A pool cover is a protective barrier that goes over the top of your pool. One of its many benefits is that it prevents frogs from getting in.

There are solid vinyl covers and mesh safety covers. A safety cover offers excellent peace of mind because kids and pets won’t inadvertently slip underneath and get trapped. Each one has metal anchors that securely lock the cover in place.

Most covers can support two hundred pounds of weight or more. So, unless you know of a humongous mutant frog that recently escaped from a mad scientist’s lab, you should be safe. If you don’t have a cover and want a cheap solution, you can always use a tarp.

Use a couple of well-placed rocks to weigh it down.

4. Install a fence.

A solid fence will stop frogs from ever getting into your pool again. That is, as long they don’t start falling from the sky like they did in the Bible or in the movie “Magnolia.” Invest in one without openings because those with them (like a chain link fence) won’t keep the buggers out.

You can also create a cheap frog barrier. It only needs to be two inches high or so. You can do this by putting wooden boards around your pool, sealing it off from amphibious encroachment.

5. Keep your lawn mowed and free of weeds and debris.

Keep your lawn mowed because frogs like to hang out in tall grass. While you’re at it, whack away thich patches of weeds, because otherwise, the varmints will use them as hideouts.

You’ll also need to get rid of stacked wood and large rocks because they make great hidey holes. Your amphibious chums also like to conceal themselves in shrubs, ferns, and leaf piles, so make sure you get rid of those too.

6. Make your own DIY frog repellent.

You can make a DIY frog repellent to keep your pool blessedly free of amphibious creatures. To do this, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and squirt all around the pool’s edges.

This works because vinegar causes a burning sensation on frogs’ feet. Once they feel this, they’ll madly hop away to look for another aquatic bug smorgasbord.

Citric acid works too. Or, if you prefer, spray some saltwater around your pool. Another thing you can use is bleach. A mixture of this chemical and water sprayed on the cement around your pool will discourage visitations.

Don’t use ammonia fertilizer, because this will only kill them.

7. Sprinkle coffee grounds all around your pool.

Sprinkle some old coffee grounds on the vegetation surrounding your pool. Like vinegar, the acid in coffee grounds irritates froggy feet.

8. Keep your pool water circulating.

Frogs don’t like the moving water…

Frogs love stationary water because they can only lay their eggs when the water stops circulating. So, to foil their plans, buy a pool fountain or waterfall that keeps the water perpetually agitated.

9. Create an alternative habitat.

You’ll want frogs in your garden because they eat insects.

You just don’t want them fouling up the pristine clarity of your pool. You can install a pond on your property so that it becomes a frog attractor.

Hopefully, the pond will be more attractive than your pool to your innumerable froggy friends. Just make sure there are stones or logs strategically placed in the water so that they can hop out when they’ve had their fill of bugs.

10. Relocate tadpole eggs.

Frogs don’t lay eggs with hard shells.

This means they must lay them in the water. Otherwise, the eggs would dry out. A female frog can lay up to 50,000 eggs at one time. Once the frog lays her eggs, they’ll descend to your pool’s bottom in a gelatinous film.

Skim them out and put them elsewhere, like in a pond on your property, or in a kiddie pool.

11. Keep your pool heated.

Frogs absorb oxygen through their skin, so they like heavily oxygenated water. There’s a whole lot more oxygen in cold water than there is in warm water. The colder the water is, the more oxygen it has, and the more inviting it is for frogs.

You can heat up your pool using a solar pool cover, liquid solar cover, solar rings, or a pool heater.

12. Always keep your pool sparkling clean.

Clean pool is less inviting for the frogs.

If you don’t, your pool will be filthy and algae-filled. This will more closely replicate a pond’s conditions, where your slimy buddies feel most at home.

At that point, your pool might as well have a big sign on it that says, “JUMP IN, FROGGIES!” You gotta find a way to make it less inviting. That’s better for you because you won’t have to scoop out yucky dead frogs.

And it’s better for the frogs, who won’t die an untimely death.

Conclusion

So, there you have it—twelve excellent ways to keep frogs out of your pool. If you need to clean out your pool after a particularly nasty frog infestation, you might want to look at the different types of pool cleaners we recommend.

Which method do you think you want to try first? Let us know in the comments!

Author

Our pool maintenance expert, Luke Reed, earned his BS in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1998. Since then, he’s worked in a variety of industries, including design and construction of luxury swimming pools.

Luke Reed

Pool Maintenance Expert