The frogs are at the height of their breeding season so that explains why you are seeing a lot of them. The adults are only around for a short while at this time of year.
The very least you should do is let them get on with it. Then allow the tadpoles to metamorphose, usually they are done by late summer.
As others have said, getting rid of the pond will not make any difference to the frogs visiting, at least in the short-term. The adults will come back year after year and hop aimlessly around the garden, then a year or two later the previous young will have matured and will come back and do the same. I've been called out by people who cannot understand the behaviour and have witnessed it several times. They have a lifespan of anything up to 14 years in the wild, so taking the pond out will only be effective over a very long period, when the colony finally dies out as no further young have been born.
Lyn, it's generally not good practice to transfer stuff from pond to pond; there are a number of invasive weeds that people have introduced into their ponds and these would be spread by transfer. There are also diseases of frogs which could be spread.
I agree with Verdun. I love frogs and at present our pond is like a frog and spawn soup but it isn't to everyone's taste and you won't be able to keep an eye on your children all the time when they are in the garden so open water would be a big mistake.
As to when you should do this, that is up to you. If you leave the frogspawn to mature and develop legs then you will be letting the next generation of frogs loose in your garden.....which will obviously creep you out. Please don't move the frogs and spawn to a pond in another area as you may spread disease.
So what do you do with it if you don't 'let it grow legs', put the tadpoles on the compost? Bash them on the head?
I agree that it is entirely the OP's choice if they have a pond or not. But the advice to leave it until the late summer when the tadpoles have finished development, and many of the adults will be long gone, is simply inline with what anyone else would advise.
Tipping out partially developed tadpoles or bashing the adults on the head would be simply unethical.
If the OP is not happy it is the correct advice they can contact Froglife:
A friend, after a shock, once said to me "never ask a question if you aren't prepared for the answer".
Clearly, there are two views on this. A bit like vivisection. The OP will make his/her own decision. All any of us can do is express our personal views.
Apophthegm - a big word for a small thought. If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
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The frogs are at the height of their breeding season so that explains why you are seeing a lot of them. The adults are only around for a short while at this time of year.
The very least you should do is let them get on with it. Then allow the tadpoles to metamorphose, usually they are done by late summer.
As others have said, getting rid of the pond will not make any difference to the frogs visiting, at least in the short-term. The adults will come back year after year and hop aimlessly around the garden, then a year or two later the previous young will have matured and will come back and do the same. I've been called out by people who cannot understand the behaviour and have witnessed it several times. They have a lifespan of anything up to 14 years in the wild, so taking the pond out will only be effective over a very long period, when the colony finally dies out as no further young have been born.
I know some one in the Northampton area that would love some frog spawn, are you that way at all?
Lyn, it's generally not good practice to transfer stuff from pond to pond; there are a number of invasive weeds that people have introduced into their ponds and these would be spread by transfer. There are also diseases of frogs which could be spread.
A pond that's covered with a grill will simply smell....baaaad!
You make them removable for cleaning.
Verdun,
I'm not telling him/her what to do, simply putting the other side of the matter. This pond wouldn't be any more 'unused' than any other pond.
As to when you should do this, that is up to you. If you leave the frogspawn to mature and develop legs then you will be letting the next generation of frogs loose in your garden.....which will obviously creep you out. Please don't move the frogs and spawn to a pond in another area as you may spread disease.
So what do you do with it if you don't 'let it grow legs', put the tadpoles on the compost? Bash them on the head?
I agree that it is entirely the OP's choice if they have a pond or not. But the advice to leave it until the late summer when the tadpoles have finished development, and many of the adults will be long gone, is simply inline with what anyone else would advise.
Tipping out partially developed tadpoles or bashing the adults on the head would be simply unethical.
If the OP is not happy it is the correct advice they can contact Froglife:
http://www.froglife.org/
The advice will be the same though.
A friend, after a shock, once said to me "never ask a question if you aren't prepared for the answer".
Clearly, there are two views on this. A bit like vivisection. The OP will make his/her own decision. All any of us can do is express our personal views.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.