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We have an inground swimming pool that we haven't used in a few years (it's just too expensive for us to maintain at the present time).

Well it's almost June and the frogs are a' plenty. Our pool (covered, but with a top layer of about 2ft of water over the tarp) has become a pond/swamp for these little critters, and at night the sound is keeping us up (and our neighbors) all night long.

I'm tempted to start routinely dumping chlorine into the water that's on top of the tarp, but that will get almost as expensive as...maintaining a swimming pool ;-).

There really isn't anything we can do about the water on top of the tarp. All we have to keep the tarp sitting on top of the pool are a bunch of cinder blocks that weigh it down. In between the blocks the frogs can slip under the tarp and get access to the main pool anyways.

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  • I've heard cats like frogs, they're typically light enough to walk over pool covers too :-P
    – Jason
    May 10, 2013 at 1:58
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    Frogs actually keep mosquitoes and other bugs down and are not as messy as outdoor cats ^- Get a cat and your going to have mouse, frog, and bird heads/guts at your front door all the time as 'presents'.
    – Jeff
    May 10, 2013 at 2:29
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    Do nothing. Mosquito's are way worse than frogs. Don't you like the songs of frogs?
    – TugboatCaptain
    May 10, 2013 at 21:06
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    In my area, given the increasing number of diseases that can be transmitted by mosquitoes, the health department would be after you to either chlorinate that water, drain it, or (I'm not sure they would accept this) stock it with the hungriest noninvasive critters you could get. You have frogs volunteering for that last role; maybe adding some sort of fish...? Seriously, skeeters will breed in a surprisingly small amount of standing water, and you don't want them. In the US, I would recommend asking your County Extension Agency; they have good advice for all property owners, not just farmers.
    – keshlam
    Mar 17, 2016 at 16:47
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    Malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and zika virus. If you are in the Southern US, you are providing an ideal breeding ground for Mosquitos and the above imports are starting to spread. Unmaintained, pooled water puts you in the cross-hairs for maintaining an attractive nuisance and a health hazard.
    – Fiasco Labs
    Mar 17, 2016 at 17:52

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Commercial frog repellents exist. Mothballs are recommended by some people, others say they don't work. It is illegal to use a pesticide (yes, mothballs are pesticides) in any way other than the way directed on the label. I'm not sure if fake plastic snakes would help. Most animals are terrified of plastic owls.

Here's an approximate frog repellent solution (legal per the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act), for use in a trigger spray bottle: 1 quart water, 1/2 cup citric acid, 1/2 cup salt, 1 oz sodium lauryl sulfate (it's a kind of surfactant -necessary to mix oil and water- that can be found at a tractor supply or online), 0.5 oz peppermint oil, 0.25 oz clove oil. Collect and relocate the frogs before spraying. Spray 24" band around the pool, weekly or as necessary; avoid spraying brass, galvanized steel, and other metal finishes.

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