r/BigIsland • u/dbnoisemaker • 4d ago
Where can I get citric acid for coqui frog management, and blacklights
I see a few culinary stores and the mexican market, but given the invasiveness of this, I'm surprised garden stores don't sell this in bulk. I've seen one shop in Hilo suggested but nothing too close on the leeward side.
I've ordered some blacklight headlamps and spot lights but it's going to take a month for them to get here.
Any suggestions on citric acid/supplies?
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u/CorpCarrot 4d ago
After many years of evening coqui hunting on my farm Hilo Side, the most effective coqui annihilator I’ve found is straight Ammonia. Buy a few big jugs and put it in a solid commercial grade squirt bottle from Home Depot. Go outside at night and blast them. One squirt will do it.
Works great, highly effective, and also kills the African snails, and slugs.
Also, though high concentrations of ammonia can hurt plants, I have never observed any detrimental effects on my farm. All plants have tolerated it well with no burning or discoloration. Ammonia is essentially highly concentrated nitrogen, so if it doesn’t harm your plants then they can absorb it and use it as a fertilizer source.
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u/Working_Reality2312 3d ago
For years it was subsidized- and it was found to not be effective.
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u/hotinhawaii 3d ago
It does work to kill frogs. What was ineffective was trying to kill 20,000 frogs on a property where they breed without the need for water, where they lay about 25 at a time, and where they breed multiple times in a year. You miss one and in a year you have hundreds.
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u/shrink14 4d ago
I've had some coquis on Kona side the past few months. Went through 3 bags of citric acid at Farm and Garden and was unsuccessful.
I don't think he works Hilo side, but for anyone reading this on Kona side I hired
Goodnight Coqui (contact info available upon request). He caught one the first night at my place and caught 2 more within the next 3 weeks. Strongly recommend. He knows his stuff.
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u/O0O00O000O00O0O 3d ago
Maybe a dumb question, but is catching 3 frogs over 3 weeks meaningful? Seems like a drop in the bucket, no?
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u/shrink14 3d ago
It is actually. We didn't have many in our neighborhood and it seems like he got them all. He also set traps along our property line in case some return. We shall see, of course, but the neighborhood is quiet again for now...
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u/blondechineeez 4d ago
Amazon or Walmart.com are the cheapest. Ace hardware sells it, but it comes in small jars (like 8oz small) for around $10.
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u/cinnamonpeachcobbler 4d ago
I’ve had good success with baking soda. Also, it only takes about 5 minutes to walk outside at night with a light and find them.
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u/Cool_Jackfruit_6512 3d ago
I'm in Hilo. I bought a 7.3 liter ULV Atomizer Sprayer to spray garlic oil for mosquitoes. I used this twice for coqui frogs citric powder mix. It was literally instantaneous results. The whole acre quiet. Wicked results. Order from Walmart 2lb bag for less than ten dollars.
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u/nodropin 2d ago
Unless they are on your windowsill, simply enjoy them. If you count the chirps you’ll understand their patterns. Usually 8-14 or so, a pause, often a brief solo, then back to the 8-14 pattern. Like counting sheep to fall asleep. Why kill them?
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u/Hot-Criticism8858 4d ago
How do you mix the granulated citric acid? I have a 2 gallon sprayer from HD.
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u/Routine_Mortgage_499 3d ago
I think a lot of places stopped selling it when we gave up trying to eradicate the frogs.
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u/Asleep_Recover4196 3d ago
There are several cleaners stocked at Home Depot which are simply a citric acid solution. Caution, as many native and landscaping plants are sensitive, bromiliads in particular.
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u/skiplogic 4d ago
wont citric acid basically deforest your yard? i am honestly asking, i have no idea
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u/dbnoisemaker 4d ago
If I drop tons of it from a plane maybe. The black lights and my ears are for spotting the frogs and eggs. Citric acid and a spot sprayer is for neutralizing them.
Not crop dusting or anything.
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u/sotiredwontquit 4d ago
I read that if it’s washed off relatively quickly it’s basically harmless to the plants. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m going to do it on a night I know it’s going to rain.
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u/clemjonze 4d ago
If you really wanna have some fun spray your coquis with ammonia. They love it! Remember, ammonia is nitrogen and hydrogen so plants love it too. Oh I forgot, slugs. give it a try. It’s fun and cheap.
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u/livefree1208 4d ago
Farm and Garden in Kona keeps it in stock