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Is Untrasonic Electronic Pest Control, Effective?

tedgyz asks: "I have declared war on the pests in my house. I am tired of hearing the scurrying of mice and squirrels in my walls. Worse - I am tired of the nests littered with droppings buried in boxes in the attic. I have used standard traps, and although successful, it seems that new rodents or more than happy to replace the ones I've killed. Are ultrasonic deterrents effective?"

"I've searched the web, but I can only find marketing material from manufacturers and distributors. I'm looking for cold, hard facts.

  1. Do ultrasonic deterrents really keep rodents out of your house?
  2. What is the range?
  3. Do they last, or do the rodents eventually return?
  4. Are they truly innocuous to dogs and cats?
  5. How do you measure success?"

14 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Tell me more.. by tedDancin · · Score: 2, Funny

    What is this "Untrasonic" technology you speak of? Some kind of super-sonic, but not quite super-sonic frequency perhaps?

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    1. Re:Tell me more.. by bakes · · Score: 3, Funny

      What is this "Untrasonic" technology you speak of? Some kind of super-sonic, but not quite super-sonic frequency perhaps?

      Well, 'un' usually implies 'not'. So it could be sub-sonic (opposite of super-sonic), but I'm pretty much inclined to believe that it is 180 degree phase-shifted 'trasonic' frequencies. Very rare, which is why they are so expensive. Insects are generally afraid of them because they don't occur naturally.

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  2. I don't know what they do to insects. by Pathwalker · · Score: 4, Funny

    I do know that those pest repellers can drive me out of a room pretty quickly.
    Whenever I get near one I get a horrible headache after a few seconds that just keeps getting worse and worse until I flee, or can disable the damned device.

    My advice would be to avoid them. Never let one into your house or workplace, destroy any you find, and try to drive the companies that make them out of business, sterilize the ground on which the factories that built them once stood (after your burn the buildings, and before you salt the ashes), and force the people who invented/built them into a lonely exile in Antarctica.

    Of course, I might be slightly biased.

    1. Re:I don't know what they do to insects. by MasterofVoid · · Score: 5, Funny

      It would been nice if the parent had mentioned in his post that he is a rat himself, thus the problems with the pest control gadgets..

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  3. Music? by Filik · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just keep your stereo at full blast 24/7, looping through some death metal mp3's. Should keep all pests away, neighbours and spouses included.

    -Filik.

  4. Re:Yeah, they work I reckon. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let me see if I've got this straight. You simultaneously deployed both poison (a method known to be effective) and some ultrasonic gizmo of dubious utility -- something for which you paid a significant amount of money and therefore whose success you are emotionally invested in, if only subconsciously.

    Then, satisfied with the final outcome (and ignoring the poison's possible role in this outcome) you proclaim the gizmo to be effective and worthwhile. Indeed, according to your account not only was it effective, but it was especially so because it cost a lot, a specious claim given you have apparently zero comparative experience with the inexpensive gizmos.

    Finally, someone with mod points saw fit to label this informative.

    Now, I have no idea whether ultrasonic snake oil^W^Wgizmos work but I suspect they do not. But I would certainly not base any decisions on the information in this most unscientific testimony.

  5. Speaking as a homeowner... by clintp · · Score: 4, Funny

    You can't just kill the pests, you have to kill them and send a message to the others. I suggest making little crosses and crucifying the mice and leaving those aroung the attic. (Hint, use staples.) Also leaving squirrel heads on small metal pikes seems effective. Keeps other people from snooping around in your attic as well.

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    1. Re:Speaking as a homeowner... by dffuller · · Score: 3, Funny

      But really this is a little more effective if you get a group of pests and kill all but one. Set him free so he can go tell his buddies that they don't want to mess around with you any more.

  6. Re:security patch by Y+Ddraig+Goch · · Score: 2, Funny

    How do you patch the holes in a 150 year old house. The foundation is mountain stone, it has more holes than Windows!!

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  7. Re:Low tech solution. by GigsVT · · Score: 5, Funny

    Holy hell.

    You mean I could have been harvesting that stuff and selling it on ebay all this time, instead of spending money on cat litter?

    Now all I need to figure out how to do is get the cat to piss in a cup. He might freak out and think it was a drug test though.

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  8. They must work! by Ben+Jackson · · Score: 2, Funny

    There were some moles in my yard, so I bought some of the vibrating stakes that are supposed to repell them. And a load of D cell batteries to put in them. I never did get around to installing them, but the moles are gone now.

    By the way, does anyone know of any other devices that use D cells these days? I have a bunch in my junk drawer...

  9. Get one, and test it yourself. by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Take it into a pet store, and see if the rodents freak. Cruel, but damnit, we need data.

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  10. Don't use the word "war" use "liberate" instead by GuyMannDude · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have declared war on the pests in my house.

    No, no, you've got it all wrong. Don't say you're declaring war. Say that you're "liberating" them from their miserable existance scurring around in the walls and such. Then you're morally justified in bombing the holy beejesus out of them and they'll be eternally grateful just like the Iraqis.

    Oh wait...

    GMD

  11. Cheater! by mcmonkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    There were no Walgreens during the civil war.