When thinking about wildlife you’d like to welcome to your yard, you might not be thinking about toads. But here’s one very good reason to make things toad-friendly: just one toad can eat more than a hundred beetles, slugs, moths, and other bugs per day. That adds up to more than three thousand insects per month!
It’s hard to beat a toad for natural pest control.
Unless you’re very vigilant, you won’t see much of your toad friends during the day. Toads are most active at night, hunting slugs and cutworms. During the day, toads need a dark, cool place away from the sun and predators.
A simple way to attract toads to your yard or garden is to make a toad house. It’s quick and easy — and fun for the whole family!
- Take a medium sized clay flower pot and wash it out.
- Use acrylic paints to create leaf, vine, and other designs on the outside of the pot. Stick to browns, greens, and other natural colors, and don’t forget the bottom of the pot!
- After the paint has dried, find a sheltered spot in your garden, among the plants. Place the pot on its side and bury it halfway in dirt.
- Place some dead leaves inside the toad house and give it a few days.
- Place a pie tin or the saucer from the flower pot near the toad house but sheltered among the plants. Toads like to sit in water and soak it in through their skin.
Keep an eye on the debris to see if anything has been moved — that will be a good sign that a toad is using the pot for shelter. If nothing has moved, you may need to relocate your toad house to another spot and try again.
You can really make your toad friends welcome by putting a little night light by the toad house. This will attract moths and other bugs for the toad to snack on.