If you've noticed small frogs stuck to the windows, siding or storm door of your Caldwell home after dark, you're seeing tree frogs at work. They aren't trying to get inside. They're hunting. The trick to dealing with them is simple: deal with the insects that bring them to your house, and the frogs move along on their own. Below, we'll cover what tree frogs are, why they gather on houses, whether they cause problems and the steps that make your home less of a buffet. If bugs are swarming your lights every night, our outdoor pest control service targets the insects around the outside of your home.
What Tree Frogs Are
Tree frogs are small frogs built for climbing. The two you're most likely to notice around a New Jersey home are the gray treefrog and the spring peeper.
- Gray treefrog. Rough, bumpy skin that can shift from gray to green or brown to match its surroundings. Often has a pale spot under each eye and bright yellow-orange on the inside of the back legs.
- Spring peeper. Very small, tan or brown, with a dark X-shaped mark on its back. Best known for its high peeping calls in early spring.
Both have sticky, rounded toe pads that let them cling to glass, vinyl siding and smooth door frames. They're mostly active at night, and males call loudly near water during the breeding season.
Why Tree Frogs Gather On Your House
Tree frogs eat insects, and your house can be the best hunting ground on the block. Outdoor lights attract moths, beetles, flies and other night-flying insects. The frogs simply wait on the windows and walls nearby and pick them off. Windows lit from inside work the same way.
Other features help, too. Shrubs and vines growing against the walls give the frogs cover during the day. Gutters, downspouts, rain barrels, birdbaths and clogged drains hold water where they can stay moist or breed. Sheltered spots like the space behind shutters or inside a hose reel are cool and damp, which is exactly what they want. If you've wondered why so many bugs show up at your lights, our guide to why bugs swarm porch lights explains it.
Are Tree Frogs Harmful?
No. Tree frogs don't bite, carry off food or damage your home. Their worst habits are loud calling on spring and summer nights and the occasional droppings on a window or deck.
A couple of simple precautions are worth knowing. Some frogs have skin secretions that can irritate your eyes or mouth, so wash your hands after touching one and keep pets from mouthing them. Frogs also absorb chemicals through their skin. Never spray a frog with insecticide, salt or household cleaners. They're native wildlife and a natural form of insect control, so the goal is to make your house less attractive, not to harm them.
The Trick: Take Away The Buffet
Once there are fewer insects around your windows, the frogs go back to hunting in the yard. These steps do the most:
- Change your outdoor bulbs. Yellow "bug" bulbs or warm-colored LEDs attract fewer night-flying insects than bright white lights.
- Use lights only when needed. Motion-sensor fixtures or timers keep porches from glowing all night.
- Close the blinds. Drawing curtains at night keeps indoor light from pulling insects to the glass.
- Clear standing water. Empty buckets, flowerpot saucers and birdbaths often, and keep gutters flowing.
- Trim plants back. Keep shrubs and vines a little away from walls and windows so frogs have less cover.
Keeping Frogs And Bugs Out Of The House
Tree frogs rarely come indoors, but an occasional one slips in through a torn screen or an open door. If that happens, cup it gently in a container and set it outside near shrubs. Then check the opening it used. Repair torn window and door screens, replace worn door sweeps and seal gaps around pipes and wires that pass through the walls. The same fixes keep out the insects the frogs were chasing in the first place.
It also helps to look at where frogs rest during the day. Check the space behind shutters, under the lip of a deck, inside grill covers and around outdoor faucets and hose reels. If you find frogs tucked into the same spots again and again, those damp, shaded areas are worth drying out or clearing.
When To Call A Professional
EcoFusion doesn't trap or remove frogs, and you don't need anyone to. If you're worried about a frog or other animal that seems sick or injured, your local animal control office or New Jersey Fish and Wildlife can advise you. Where we help is the insect side of the problem. Our NJ DEP-licensed technicians can inspect the outside of your home, find what's breeding and gathering around your lights and entry points, and recommend a plan using Integrated Pest Management and EPA-registered, eco-safe products.
Tree frogs on the glass are a sign your outdoor lights are feeding a crowd. Cut down on the insects, and your Caldwell home becomes a lot less interesting to them.