Laois, Offaly and Westmeath have recorded low numbers in the first Irish Frog Survey which was carried out because of growing concern about the future of the creature in Ireland. The survey, organised by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC), involved more than 900 schoolchildren from every county in Ireland, and was intended as the first comprehensive overview of the spread of the amphibian throughout the country.
The survey found that frogs reproduce in every county in the Republic but low returns from Laois, Offaly and Westmeath have posed questions for the organisers.
Twelve counties returned fewer than 10 records and according to Dr Peter Foss, chairman of the IPCC, this may indicate a low density of frogs in the counties involved.
"Alternatively, it may indicate a low density of human population, low school cover, unsuitable habitats or counties with extensive areas under intensive agriculture," he said.
"This certainly calls for more research because we would have expected more reports, especially from bog pools in the Midlands."
He said 50 per cent of reports located frogs in man-made ponds and this was a helpful indication at a time when it appeared the frog is under threat.
"Modern farming practices destroy frog habitats and the use of pesticides and chemicals kills them. They are a wonderful indicator of a clean environment," said Dr Foss.
The survey had most returns from counties Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. Dr Foss said it was estimated that 7 per cent of frog spawn located during the survey survived to become juvenile frogs.
He said the IPCC received telephone calls from distressed house owners claiming that large numbers of frogs were trying to invade their homes. He said this was because the common frog goes to the same pond to breed every year and always follows the same path to that pond.
"If a house is built in the middle of their path they will try to go through rather than go around it," he said.