Ultrasonic Pest Repellers: Here’s What you Need to Know Before Buying

Content:

• Ultrasonic Pest Repellers: What Are They?
• How Do these Devices Work?
• What Pests Do They Keep Away?
• What is the Usual Price of Ultrasonic Pest Repellers?
• Table of Comparison: The Best Ultrasonic Pest Repellers
• Our Recommended Rodent Repeller?
• Ultrasonic Pest Repellers: Pros and Cons
• Are They Really Effective?
• The Ultrasonic Pest Chaser by Victor Pest Control
• Companies Warned by FTC About Unproven Claims
• What Does All of This Mean to Consumers?
• Ultrasonic Mouse Repellers – Conclusion and Final Words

There is nothing worse than having an infestation of vermin or insects in your home. They spread disease and filth throughout your living spaces, putting yourself and your loved ones at risk.

Pests not only bring in dirt and filth, but they also tend to nibble on anything they consider might be food, so any food you leave out may become contaminated.

Mice and rats will always seek out a food source and a warm dry spot to build their nests. And once you have a mouse in your house, before long you will have many because they are rapid breeders.

Traps may be effective, but then you have to get rid of the dead bodies, especially with mice and rats. Another alternative is using poisons, but that puts everyone in the household at risk as well. That’s why Ultrasonic Pest Repellers are a great alternative, no mess, no fuss, just plug it in and keep them out.

Ultrasonic Pest Repellers: What Are They?

An Ultrasonic Pest Repeller is a device that deters rodents and other pests from entering your home by emitting a high-frequency sound. This sound has the capacity to not only repel the pest but can also cause death and injury to them.

They are small devices that are plugged into an electrical outlet and emit debilitating sound constantly, and it is often better to have more than one device in the home to make sure every possible ‘entrance’ for the pest is covered.

There are a variety of models on the market, and the level of sound and the range of emission varies between each of them. There are also some devices that are target-specific, meaning they will only work on the specified creature, such as rodents.

How Do these Devices Work?

The high-frequency sound cannot be heard by humans and most family cats and dogs, only pests. Humans can’t hear sounds higher than 20,000 Hz, whereas pests can hear at a much higher range.

It is what is known as an audiogenic seizure response that makes the pest leave the vicinity immediately, to get away from the noise. In some cases, the sound can cause a cerebral hemorrhage in the past, resulting in death.  Others can suffer induced panic, fear, confusion, and sometimes seizures.

The use of sound to deter pests isn’t a new method; it has been around for a very long time, and in ancient China, they used to construct devices that were mechanically operated to generate a level of sound that drove the pests out of their agricultural crops.

However, the ultrasonic version of sound-emitting devices has only been around for the past few decades.

These modern-day ultrasonic pest repellers work by being plugged into your home’s electrical outlet, and they are then capable of emitting the constant high-frequency sound. Theoretically, when the rodent or pest flees from the sound, it prevents them from food gathering, building any nests, or breeding in the home.

There are a variety of ultrasonic pest repellers available, and the designs can vary in the rate, frequency, and intensity of the sound that is emitted.

What Pests Do They Keep Away?

The most common pests found in homes are rats and mice, and these devices work well at keeping them out.

They also work on cockroaches, spiders, fleas, and in some cases, squirrels and bats.

Many of the devices that are available claim to cover most rodents, vermin, and insects, but their effectiveness is not conclusive.

What is the Usual Price of Ultrasonic Pest Repellers?

The price can vary depending on the make and model of each device. Some are relatively cheap, at just a few dollars each, whereas others can be priced at up to $100.

The most important thing is the number of devices needed to cover the area of your home. Therefore, it is usually cheaper to buy the devices in packs of three or four.

Table of Comparison: The Best Ultrasonic Pest Repellers

Our Recommended Rodent Repeller?

After reviewing the top Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers, the one that stands out from the rest is the T3-R Triple High Impact Mice, Rat, and Rodent Repeller. Here are the reasons why:

• This Ultrasonic Rodent Repeller has three speakers for emitting the sound whereas most of the other repellers on the market only have two.
• The sound emitted can be varied to suit, unlike many others that have a standard sound setting.
• According to feedback from customers, it had the best reviews over all.
• The customer service provided by the company is excellent.
• It has a long extension card of six meters, which allows for better placement of the device to ensure it is reaching the target areas of entrance by pests.

Ultrasonic Pest Repellers: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• The device is safe around humans and will cause no harm.
• It eliminates the need to use dangerous poisons and chemicals.
• The cost is relatively low, and the device lasts a long time.
• Very little electricity is needed to run the device, so power consumption is low.
• They are effective against a variety of pests, so only one method of pest control is required.
• Less chance of having to remove the deceased bodies of pests.

Cons:

• There has been some debate over whether these ultrasonic pest repellers actually do work well, particularly with other types of pests than rodents.
• There is no absolute guarantee they will work effectively.
• Some studies have indicated the pests may become immune to the sound and continue to live as normal.
• The range at which the device sends out the sound is limited, so while one device may work in one room, it won’t cover the whole area of the home.

Are They Really Effective?

As mentioned above, there has been quite a bit of debate over whether these devices are really effective at keeping pests away.

A number of scientific studies have been conducted with mixed results, so it is still unclear exactly how well these devices work.

The Ultrasonic Pest Chaser by Victor Pest Control

One of these studies was conducted by Victor Pest Control, who analyzed the efficacy of their own Ultrasonic Pest Chaser. The results were as follows:

• Of 17 sites tested, rodents were effectively repelled from 13 of those sites.
• The consumption of food by pests was reduced by 67% in the treated areas.
• Rodent activity was stopped within an average of 6 days.

The results were consistent with the product reviews they had received from their customers.

Ultrasonic Effects on Arthropods – A Study by KSU
A study was conducted by Kansas State University to determine how effective Ultrasonic Pest Repellers were against insects.

The results of the study showed that although they were effective against the tympanic moth, they were not useful in eliminating other arthropods such as spiders and ants.

However, like most scientific studies, KSU did identify that there was a need for further studies to be conducted, including a wider variety of devices, for more conclusive results.

Companies Warned by FTC About Unproven Claims

A warning letter to 60 manufacturers and retailers of Ultrasonic Pest Repellers in 2001 by the Federal Trade Commission, to ensure all claims of efficacy by the companies could be backed up by scientific evidence.

Advertisements and marketing materials produced by the companies who received letters had been reviewed by the FTC and found that many of them could be in violation of the FTC Act which protects against false advertising.

As a result, the consumer was protected from being misled by the companies through false statements and misleading information. The warning from the FTC also aimed to encourage the companies producing the devices to thoroughly test their products before releasing them on to the market.

Other researchers were in agreement with the FTC’s studies, and also urged consumers to be careful about purchasing the ultrasonic pest repelling devices based on statements that could not be substantiated by scientific proof.

The University of Lincoln Nebraska Extension office wrote an article suggesting consumers to not bother wasting their money on these devices.

What Does All of This Mean to Consumers?

If you are looking at investing in an Ultrasonic Pest Repeller device, it is highly recommended that you take the time to read the product reviews from other consumers. This will give you valuable insight into how effective the device would be.

Look for companies that have the highest number of positive product reviews, rather than going by who can supply the product at the lowest price. Make sure, however, that the reviews are genuine, that they are written by verified buyers, and haven’t been placed as a marketing tool.

Check if the company has conducted independent studies on the devices and published the results. If the results are good after the device has been fully tested, the company is more likely to share that information with the consumer.

Take into consideration the cost of the device as well. Just because one device may be more expensive than another doesn’t mean that it will work more effectively.

A lot of the results of the devices will depend on the area in which you want to repel the pests. You most likely will need more than one device, and you will need to determine which model would work best in your home.

There are a number of factors that may affect how the device works, such as other noise in the environment that may alter the level of sound emitted from the ultrasonic pest repeller.

Another thing to take into account is the type of pest you want to remove. While some will work on most pests, others are more specific, such as Ultrasonic Mouse Repellers or Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers. These may work on rodents, but not on insects such as cockroaches.

It’s also important to think about how much you are willing to spend on a product that may or may not work. It may be more appropriate for your pocket to try a cheaper device first and see how that goes before investing larger amounts of money on the more expensive products on the market.

Ultrasonic Mouse Repellers – Conclusion and Final Words

These devices are not terribly expensive at all, so it’s not going to cost a fortune to try them out. They are certainly the less dangerous form of pest control you can use in your home, with no risk of your children or pets being harmed.

It removes the need for poisons and traps to be scattered throughout your home. Your cats and dogs won’t be affected by the sound emitted from the devices, and it won’t be harmful if anyone comes close to the device.

For those who detest having to clean up dead mice and insects after laying poisons and traps, ultrasonic pest devices are the best option. They eliminate the need to go around and check for dead creatures every day, and they are designed to keep the critters out before they even venture too far into your home.

These devices require no maintenance, and most will last up to a year, so you don’t have to worry about constantly replacing them. You simply plug them in and forget about them. Even though the results from studies are not conclusive as to how effective the ultrasonic devices are, the cost is so minimal, and there is no mess and fuss, that it is well worth giving them a try.