Although many people might find them ugly and repulsive, having a toad hanging around the outside of the house is great for keeping the local insect population down. The best way to accomplish this is to construct an easily made toad house and place it in a toad or frog friendly area of the yard such as a flower bed or along a walkway. It usually doesn't take long for a toad to take up residence and begin eating his weight in bugs.
Toad House Basics
Because toads are nocturnal, they like to hide in cool, dark, damp areas during the day. Remarkably, toads can fit into very small spaces and gardeners will often come across them burrowed under broken clay pots, loose bricks, or leaf debris. The easiest toad houses are natural items that the toads can use such as a small hollow log, large sea shell, or decorative rock.
Another important item to have handy for the toad is a shallow water dish somewhere close to the toad house to allow them to soak. The dish should be shallow enough to allow the toad to hop in and out of easily, and the water should be no more than an inch deep. Keep the dish clean and filled at all times.
Building Toad Houses
Want to create a unique toad house? Chances are there's probably something lying around the house or garage that might be perfect with a few added touches. Have an old coffee can? Using tin snips carefully cut out a small doorway about three inches wide and two inches tall, making sure that there are no sharp edges that a toad might get hurt on. Next, apply a waterproof paint and allow it to dry thoroughly. It's that easy.
For a more decorative or elaborate toad house, decorate a clay pot by painting it or gluing river pebbles onto it. Bury the pot halfway into the soil so that the opening of the pot tapers down toward the ground but still leaves an entrance about an inch or two high for a toad to enter. This will help to create a dark space inside and provide a safe place for the toad to hide from predators.
Another method of building a toad house incorporates the use of a small length of PVC pipe about 3-4 inches in diameter. Cut off a portion about six to eight inches long, or, consider using an elbow or tee joint. From this point decide on if whether to paint it or glue on features. Some camouflage options are moss or bark, rocks, and artificial leaves and flowers.
Even more advanced projects can take advantage of easy to use polyresin and molds in order to create an elaborate toad house. Imitation stumps and toad stools are a popular toad house design in many gardens. Be creative. The toad house can look like anything as long as it has an entrance to a dark recess for the toad to use.
A toad house is simple to build and will make a wonderful accent to any flower garden. In return the toad residents will faithfully patrol for insects and eat all that they find. Frog lovers will also enjoy having these helpful amphibians around the yard to observe as well, so go build one today.
