Tadpole trapping

Cane Toads are prolific breeders – each female can produce 35,000 eggs each time she reproduces! The Cane Toad Tadpole Trap and Lure is a world first technology that targets the vulnerable tadpole phase of the breeding cycle.

 Simply set your trap and come back to remove hundreds of Cane Toad tadpoles at once, before they grow up, hop away and cause damage to the environment! 

Ideal for use in private waterways like dams, streams and ponds.

Our lures are proudly certified Australian Made. The lure technology was originally developed by researchers at the University of Queensland, and is now completely produced in house by the Watergum team.

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How does it work?

Cane Toad tadpoles in Australia have evolved to cannibalise other Cane Toad eggs, using them as a food source and reducing competition. They are attracted to the eggs by a pheromone, a component of the Cane Toad bufotoxin. This pheromone is the active ingredient in the lure. When placed in the Cane Toad Tadpole Trap, the lure creates a scent plume in the water that Cane Toad tadpoles will follow into the trap. 

This system is an environmentally friendly, humane solution. The lure is only attractive to Cane Toad tadpoles and has no impact on waterway health or native frog species.

See the proof!

Join our community of citizen scientists!

Our customers are busy trapping Cane Toad tadpoles in the field and reporting back their data as part of our citizen science study! By collecting and submitting data to our database, you can help build a better understanding of Cane Toad populations, impacts and control methods. Check out our resources below.

Cane toad id
CANE TOAD/TADPOLE Dashboard
Submit your data

Questions? We’re here to help

How do you set the trap?
First , check that the tadpoles are Cane Toad tadpoles using our ID guide! Then simply put your trap in the water close to the swarm and let the bucket fill with water. Once the water has settled, pop the lure in and stabilise your trap with a rock or brick on top. Walk away for 4-8 hours and leave the lure to work its magic!
When should I set my trap?
Trap on a warm, sunny day – this is when your Cane Toad tadpoles are active and looking for food!
Where should I put the trap?
As close to the swarm of Cane Toad tadpoles as possible! The trap needs to rest on the ground, filled with water to the Optimum Fill Line. The edge of your pond, dam or stream is ideal!
What should I do with the tadpoles I catch?
Humanely euthanise them! Current best practice is the stepped hypothermia which involves putting your catch in a container in the fridge, followed by the freezer (8 hours in each will do for tadpoles). If this is not available for your, burying the tadpoles is another good option.
Will the trap and lure impact native frogs?
The Cane Toad Tadpole Lure is not attractive to species of native frog tadpole, and they will not follow the scent plume into the trap like Cane Toad tadpoles will. If your pond is small and has native frog tadpoles in the same space as Cane Toad tadpoles, trap for a shorter amount of time (2 hours) for best results.

More questions?

See our full instructions here
Instructions

Don't just take our word for it... hear from our customers!

Trap & lures very effective in our pond – complete elimination of toad tadpoles over 4 days of 8 hours per day trapping
C Lawrence

This really works! Thousands of tadpoles caught in one go.
C Enslin

Our dam was full of toad tadpoles. We set 3 traps and cleared out literally thousands of tadpoles. Just amazing.
C Patricia

I recently bought the cane toad tadpole trap which came with 5 lures. The process is simple and the instructions are clear and easy to understand. I was impressed and horrified at how many cane toad tadpoles I trapped over a 5 day period. It felt good to do such a simple and inexpensive thing to help the environment. I will be using this process again.
J Elms

We have a small pond with plants and plenty of hiding places and no matter how hard I tried I could not catch all the toad tadpoles, so I did some research and found the Cane toad tadpole Trap and Lure system. Simple to set up and after 8 hours it had caught a surprising number of tadpoles that I would not have been able to trap any other way. I have checked every day since and have found not a single tadpole. I will for sure be using this again.
C Mitchell

Hi, I ordered the trap having followed the cane toad progress for many years around our small wildlife pond and wetland area, and feeling hopeless. No matter how many toads we caught, nature always sent us more! Our main pond, which I have been restoring, became the home of an early cane toad tadpole swarm. I tried to scoop them up with a leaf scoop net, with mixed results. Then I ordered a Watergum cane toad tadpole trap and WOW – in less than 24 hours the pond was completely cane toad tadpole free – with zero other amphibian by-catch evident. Everyone who lives on a cane toad prone waterway needs one of these!
M White

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