Recently, the market has surged with new brands and models of ultrasonic and electronic pest repellent devices. These devices claim to send out high-frequency waves of sound that rodents, insects, and even pets will find intolerable. The question is, does this thing really work? Several years ago the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) warned all manufacturers of these devices that all of their claims of ineffectiveness must be met with scientific research. Thanks to the demands of the FTC, packaging now must market themselves more honestly and with research and proven results if possible. There was a flood of funded scientific research that followed. Results varied, overall, some electronic devices showed some results in certain pests. Can that statement be any vaguer? The bottom line here is this: before you invest your money, know the facts.
- Repellents will only cause your problem to move around. If the sound waves do bother your rodents or insects it will just cause them to move out of the way of the annoyance, it will not harm or kill them.
- Tolerance. Rodents and pests will build up a tolerance to noises over time, especially if there is a great food source nearby, and then your devices will be mostly ineffective.
- Be a realist. Those plug-in devices are weak and short-range, they won’t protect your whole house no matter how many you use. In addition, there isn’t enough research done to prove they work as effectively as they claim.
To have pests removed from your home quickly and efficiently, contact your local pest professional.