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Reptiles & Amphibians

Frog Eggs in Your Pool: What to Do With Them

Frog spawn in a swimming pool will not survive the chlorine. How to move it to water that works, and how to stop frogs laying there next spring.

By Salma 4 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A floating mass of frog spawn, each clear sphere holding a dark egg, against a pale concrete edge
Photo: TheUjulala, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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A pool looks like still water to a frog, and it is a trap. Nothing laid in a treated pool survives, and even in an untreated one the smooth sides give the froglets no way out.

First, is it frog spawn

Telling the masses apart
What you seeWhat it is
Clumped jelly, black dot in each sphereFrog spawn
Long double strings wound around somethingToad spawn
Single fine strand, tiny eggsInsect or snail eggs
Opaque white, cloudy, dissolvingDead spawn — chlorine got to it
Clear jelly, no dotsAlgae or a fungal mass

Opaque white means it is already gone. Scoop it out with the net and bin it; there is nothing to rescue and it will foul the filter as it breaks down.

Moving live spawn

  1. Fill a bucket from the pool — the same water the eggs are already sitting in. A sudden change of temperature or chemistry kills spawn as surely as the chlorine does
  2. Lift under the mass with a fine mesh net or a sieve. Frog spawn is a loose cloud and it tears if you drag the net sideways through it
  3. Float it in the bucket, not stacked or squeezed
  4. Walk it to the nearest standing water — a garden pond, a ditch, a water butt, a neighbour’s pond with permission. A few hundred yards at most
  5. Lower the bucket in and let the spawn slide out, rather than tipping it from height
  6. Rinse the net and bucket with plain water before they go near any other pond

Keep the move short, for the frogs' sake

Moving spawn between water bodies is how chytrid fungus and ranavirus travel, and both are major drivers of amphibian decline. In the UK moving spawn between ponds is specifically discouraged.

The nearest water wins, even if a better pond exists two miles away. If there is nothing within a few hundred yards, scoop the spawn out anyway — leaving it in the pool is certain death, and at least the adults stay in the area.

If there is nowhere to put it

  • A water butt or a bucket of rainwater in shade will carry tadpoles through, if you top it up and add a few strands of pondweed and a sloping stick for the froglets to climb out on
  • A washing-up bowl sunk in a border, same idea, is a one-season pond
  • Do not put it in a chlorinated hot tub, a fountain or a chlorinated water feature, which are the same trap in a smaller box
  • Do not flush it or bin it alive. If none of the above is possible, say so honestly and take it to a local wildlife group — many will take spawn

Clearing the rest of the pool

  • Net out every visible mass, including the ones against the steps and in the skimmer
  • Check the skimmer basket for tadpoles, which is where they end up once the pump runs
  • Hold off shocking the pool until the netting is done, if you intend to save any of it
  • Then rebalance normally. Spawn does not harm the water chemistry; it just decomposes

Stopping it next spring

What prevents laying, in order of effect
MethodEffect
Pool cover, on before breeding seasonEnds it
Pump running at night in springLarge — frogs want still water
Empty every other standing containerLarge, for the garden overall
Warm amber outdoor bulbsModerate — fewer insects, fewer frogs
A real pond at the far end of the gardenModerate, and they prefer it
Fence or low barrier at the pool edgeModerate, mainly for toads
Chemicals in the waterNone. They lay anyway, then die

Timing is the whole game. Spawning is a short window in early spring, triggered by temperature, and a cover on before it starts saves the entire argument. A cover going on in May is too late.

A pond is the fix that works with the frogs rather than against them

Frogs breeding in a garden pond at the far end are frogs not breeding in the pool, and a pond takes care of mosquito larvae while it is at it.

Shallow sloping edge, some planting, no fish if you want tadpoles to survive. It solves the pool problem more reliably than anything you can buy for the pool.

Common questions

Will frog eggs survive in a swimming pool?

No. Chlorine and salt-system water both kill frog eggs and tadpoles, and even in an untreated pool the smooth sides give emerging froglets no way out, so they drown or dry out on the deck. A pool is a trap rather than a pond — frogs lay there because it looks like still water, and almost nothing laid in one survives to leave it.

How do I remove frog eggs from a pool?

Scoop them gently with a fine pool net and move them, in the same water, to a nearby pond, ditch or water butt within a few hundred yards. Frog spawn is a loose cloud of jelly and breaks apart easily, so lift it under the mass rather than dragging it through the water. Fill a bucket from the pool first and float the spawn in that for the walk. If there is no water body nearby, scoop it out anyway — it will not survive where it is.

Is it legal to move frog spawn?

Moving spawn a short distance within your own property is generally fine, but moving it between water bodies is restricted in several countries because it spreads chytrid fungus and ranavirus, both major causes of amphibian decline. In the UK moving spawn between ponds is specifically discouraged for that reason. Keep the move as local as possible, and do not transport it across town.

Does chlorine kill tadpoles?

Yes, quickly. Chlorine damages gill tissue, and the levels that keep a pool safe for swimming are far above what any amphibian larva tolerates. Salt-water pools are no better — they generate chlorine electrolytically. A pool shocked after the eggs were laid kills them within hours, and the eggs usually turn opaque white before they dissolve.

How do I stop frogs laying eggs in my pool next year?

Cover it before the breeding season and remove the alternatives. A solid or mesh pool cover ends it outright. Beyond that, run the pump at night during the spring breeding weeks so the surface is never still, switch outdoor lights to warm amber so fewer insects gather, and empty every other container of standing water in the garden. A proper pond at the far end of the garden is the one fix frogs actively prefer.

What does frog spawn look like in a pool?

Frog spawn is a clumped, floating mass of clear jelly with a black dot at the centre of each sphere, often the size of a fist or larger, usually in a corner or against a step. Toad spawn is different — long double strings of eggs, typically wound around something. A stringy single strand is more likely an insect or a snail egg mass. Dead eggs go opaque white and cloudy, which is what chlorinated spawn looks like within a day.

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