
Ultrasonic electronic pest and insect repellent devices claim that their high-frequency soundwaves are intolerable to rodents and insects.
However, simply plugging in one of these devices probably won’t end your pest woes. It’s important to understand exactly what these devices can do before investing in one.
In 2001, the Federal Trade Commission sent a warning to manufacturers of ultrasonic pest control devices, demanding that claims of effectiveness must be backed up by scientific research.

Thanks to the FTC intervention, package claims on ultrasonic rodent and insect devices are more understated than they used to be, and many product websites have links explaining their research methods and results.
If you dig deeper into the various products, you’ll find that the studies have mixed results.
Overall, some ultrasonic pest control devices show some results with certain pests — how’s that for convincing?
These products are by no means a quick fix, and none of them claim 100% effectiveness on any pest, so they need to be kept in perspective as a possible contributor to an overall pest management system, not as a magic weapon.

- Keep Trapping: The best results for both rodents and insects come from using ultrasonic pest repellents along with trapping. Simply put, soundwaves cause the pests to scurry around, which drives them right into your traps.
- Expect Diminishing Returns: Pests such as rodents become accustomed to the sound from ultrasonic devices over time, so results may only be temporary.
- Have Realistic Expectations: Even the successful research on ultrasonic pest control devices shows a percentage of decrease, not a total elimination of rodent and insect pests.
- Device Location: Soundwaves from ultrasonic pest control devices are short-range and very weak, so they’re easily blocked by furniture, walls and corners. To test out the location of your device, place a lamp next to the device, turn off all the other lights, and note the beams and shadows from the lamp. The repellent sound waves will pretty much only be active where the light reaches.
Further Reading
- How Much Does a Rat Exterminator Cost?
- The Best Pest Control Companies for 2022
- 4 Ways Pests Can Enter Your Home
Find Peace of Mind As a Homeowner with a Home Warranty
I just bought a Ultrasonic Pest repeller..I am wondering if it gets rid of “earwigs” down here in FLorida. I get a lot of them come up to cracks of my front door and back sliding glass doors. I have a plug outlet near my front door..maybe a good place to plug it in. Will it keep them from coming undr my front door if the device is just inside the front door?…also…Had a small snake outside my front door..does it get rid of them too?
We bought one of these ultrasonic fly repellents recently, and it only did nothing morBee than increase our fly problem; it didn’t help repel any of the flies at all; very disappointed! Looking into another way t eradicate these annoying pests for good!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the Today’s Homeowner community!
TH community members helping other TH community members — we love it. 🙂
I purchased the electronic pest repeller and plugged it in. Later in the day I saw a roach, grabbed the electronic pest repeller out of the wall socket and smashed the roach with it. The roach was deffinately dead. The device was 100% effective, and the easy storage in electrical outlets makes it handy. I’m going to purchase one for every outlet in this roach hell hotel.
That. Is. Hysterical! PT Moore, you made my day!!! I lived in Florida for five years and still remember all the roaches. Bleccch. Good luck.
I sent this to my buddy, we both got a real kick out of it….thanks.
“The device was 100% effective, and the easy storage in electrical outlets makes it handy.”
I showed this to my dog, he now thinks he is rambo.
I’m going to quote you on Facebook. That is just totally hysterically funny! You made me laugh. Thanks!
Astounding. Tell us, 5 years later how does it feel now that your comment is a smash hit?
That was the best, most unexpected comment and probably the most accurate usage.
This made me laugh out loud…and definitely convinced me not to buy it! Made my day!!
I bought the Electronic pest repeller 2 months back and all I have seen is an increase in the number of pest. Really disappointed.
I found an increase in activity to begin with each time I have tried it brings them out but months on and are alot less around
I just purchased the electronic pest repeller and i only saw one roach so far and I just put them in two days ago. But my daughter says she can hear it, it said on the box that us humans cant hear it. So why is she hearing it?
The same thing happened to me with a couple co-workers that are a few years younger than me. At different ages you are more sensitive to a different range of frequencies. Younger people are more likely to hear it. I couldn’t believe it when one of my friends came out of the bathroom and said “Doesn’t that mice repeller annoy you?” They couldn’t stand the sound of it lol
I’m turning 60 this year and I can hear the very high pitch in an ultrasonic device. So can my husband and adult children. We hate it!
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Sharp Ears!
We’re sure it will help others.
blueeyes: Because your daughter have keener ears than adults. Meaning, the younger you are the wider spectrum of sound frequencies you can hear. This will diminish as you age.
I bought one from Groupon, only 15US$ I just try it today, try to get rid of cockroach, 2 inches big one from my kitchen. I wonder, will it drive it out of the kitchen into my living room? By the way, the using the device as a hammer comment was funny.
oooh, groupon price was 10US$, but half the price in alibaba etc (not include shipping then)—
not sure I should be happy or not
maybe I should buy those sticky tape trap or chemical ones to use along with the electronic device
came home at 7pm, seldom see cockroach in that time (usual , they meet each others at midnight time), I seen a tiny cockroach 1cm , wondering around the kitchen sink, on the flat surface — in the past, they like the floor or in the vertical tile on top of sink
so, just one day — 24 hr is ON — should I be happy, I don’t know
conclusion — there should be some effect with these electronic device (mine is EI3110), but does it drive the cockroach wondering around, or they listen to the disco theme music (the LED light periodically go brighter and dimmer continuously) and come out , having a party of their lives —– who’s know
will turn it on, probably got some traditional traps later on, and reduce rubbish storage in the kitchen, see whether it works or, they pick further away place for their new homes (could be)
Is it harmful for a lady who is pregnant?
Every home I lived in I would purchase an electronic repellent. I did because I am terrified of rats. well I never had a rat in my home or around it from my knowledge but I felt like it was because I’ve always had the repellents plugged in. Well in this new home im in lately I’ve been seeing them run across my privacy gate. I have the plugs all around the house and its not working seeing them on the fence and just tonight actually seen one on the ground. Sorry for the long story but no they do not work!!!!! Plus there’s lizards and other type of little bugs that be by my back door even with the 3 plugs plugged in
I know this comment is 5 years late and won’t receive a reply, but I’m commenting anyway. I’m curious, did you plug the devices outside of your home or indoors? It would make a huge difference (if they actually work) in regard to the rat running across the gate. If indoors, doubtful that it will work on the rodents/pests outside of your home since from what I’ve read, walls tend to diminish the effectiveness so for outdoor pests, you would want an outdoor-type and have it outside.
As for the lizards by your backdoor they, like the rats, aren’t in your house so wouldn’t that show that the device may indeed work?
I’ve just plugged one in each room in my house a couple of days ago, and so far it’s just increasing the activity of the mice. It’s not a quick fix and if you’re petrified of mice, like I am, these electronic devices don’t really help.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for the feedback about your experiences. Let us know if it makes a difference over the long run.
Kathleen I know this is a lot late but maybe you’re hearing more activity because the devices have them scrambling to find a way out of the house. Over the long run when the all either vacate the house or die and you hear or see any activity you just might change your opinion.
Good point, Sherry! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic.
Please be aware the sound is 25,000 hertz just out of the human hearing range. Cats can hear 70,000 hertz and dogs are around 45,000 hertz. Every pet but birds can hear the sounds. The sound is a varying high pitched constant sound. It works great for mice in the attic but if used in the home the sound will bounce off of walls and under doors. I shut the door in my bed room and 3 cats and 2 dogs reacted in the other room. Your pets may get used to it and most people don’t know. Since my animals reacted I knew it was in their hearing range. I did a little research and found they are not allowed to be sold into Canada. Their government protects it’s citizens. Our military service also does not allow purchases of electronic repellers do to false claims and no proof of effectiveness. Attics and garages are fine, if the pets are not in that area. Customers please spread the words to your friends on social media. All electronic repellers are same and people dont know. I tested on ants and fleas who had no reacton. I think it works for rodents and squirrels in enclosed are areas. If the company responds i want facts and no bs fake talk. If it really worked for fleas and bedbugs and ants prove it with facts. Show me a video or send me the testing results.
We had field mice come in, bought a plug in repellant, we put poison down and got rid of them. We kept the repellant plugged in since this was 3years ago. Now, for the past few evenings we have heard noise in the loft. Thinking it could be a squirrel we went and had a look. Going by droppings could be a rat. No damage so far so put poison in, but wondering the plug in could be working. Also, it works through the electrics in your home. Hopefully sonic noise driving it crazy.
Leaving poison for rats causes them to seek water and die. Sometimes where they die could be inside your walls. If you smell something atrocious, it’s probably a dead rat. Mice on the other hand don’t smell as bad. I prefer rat traps instead of poison.
And if/when the mice/rat/rodent gets outside after ingesting the poison and something else eats the rodent (hawks, owls, cats, etc.) there is a high likelihood that the other animal will die too. Poisoning rodents is bad. Snap trap them if anything since it’s quick and painless (though there is a body to discard.)
Like Mark says above, when it was plugged in, my dog reacted to it immediately. I tested this by plugging and unplugging it, and it was obvious that the sound of the repellent (not audible to us) was bothering him.
I didn’t see anything about this on the package, but I am returning it because of this.
We caught chipmunks in our backyard with the department store cages. I decided to use the big corded ultrasound device, that my dad loves having in the basement for bugs, on a chipmunk in a cage. On all 10 supposed frequencies this God-mode device has, like the loud one for squirrels and down to the anti-bedbug, the chipmunk didn’t react one bit!
Lol, I love these stories. And these things really don’t always work. they may work for one bug out that group, or one animal out that group, but forget it, I don’t think they really work that well.
I’ve had one of these in my kitchen for 2 yrs, didn’t know that pests can get used to the sound. Nevertheless I bought a few more of them for some other rooms in my home. I’ve been seeing a lot of spiders in the house, so I will know if it works on them. I do recommend them, no ants, roaches that I seen. I do think that I will unplug them for a short while and then plug them in again.
Thanks Stephanie. I was thinking of buying one of these sonic devices to keep snakes away (I have a small cat and live with very large pythons outside) If it’s going to disturb the cat and the dog, then I can’t
was planning to buy one from a tv online shop. however after going through comments, i am backing out. cant afford such an expensive night lamp! lovely comment by someone asking this to use as hammer 🙂
I bought an electronic device (pkg of 3) approximately 4/5 years ago. I was upset about mouse droppings on my kitchen counters and running around my rooms. I can honestly say that since that time I do not see mice anymore. I do make sure the devices bounce off a solid wall, and I have one in three rooms. I also have one in the basement. So I am a believer!! I purchased at a big box retailer. As far as the device for bugs, I had two in my winter home over the summer. I also sprayed, used fabric softener sheets and had pretty good success. Again it needs to hit solid wall.
From all the comments it seems these products may not really be permanent solutions…….at best a short term solution.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THESE DEVICES WORKING ON KEEPING LIZARDS AWAY ??? The common household lizard.
We had mice in the kitchen and garage. I put one plug-in reller in the kitchen and two in the garage. After about a week, no more mice incidents at all. That was over a year ago. Now to tackle the backyard with more powerful models to see if that will be a success as well.
I purchased two Bell & Howell devices from Ross Stores for $7.99 each. Can’t say for sure yet whether or not they are working. Just about the time I get comfortable is when I see a new roach. I keep a swifter floor mop handy and smash them to death. The surface is nice and flat, I just have to be quick enough. My next option is to move back to the Northeast where we never had roaches, just spiders and mice.
I have been using some of the expensive ones of these [electro-magnetic and ultrasonic][advertised on TV] for about 5-6 years with good results. My Dogs don’t seem to be affected. I gave one to My Son as he had mice but His Pet Lizard was VERY affected by it. I have one in a large metal garden shed and it seems to keep most things out of the shed. My two other sheds do get mice or rats occasionally which I kill with baits. I put one of these in another Sons Apartment which had lots of cockroaches, and the tenants next door complained about all the cockroaches they had.. lol. As lizards don’t like these, maybe snakes don’t either?
One of these I was using in My house, could be heard by some people, but My wife and I couldn’t hear it.
Lee in Australia
After reading many interesting comments, thought I should share my experience. I have used two bigger ultrasonic pest repellent units (Black & Decker EP1100-A) for last ten plus years for rodents and similar larger pests – One in backyard and one in garage; and didn’t have a single rodent or similar pest anywhere near the house. I don’t have anything to prove the cause and effect relationship, but we do think it works, at least for larger pests. We also have a few smaller pluggable units inside house and never had a single cockroach in the house.
Hi Sir/Madam,
We are looking for pest control device which control lizard, mouse, and cats in my business place. Can you please review the best solution and advise.
I’ve purchased recently Ultrasonic pest repeller from amazon “http://amzn.com/B017IEZIVQ” i am really happy with it, I have a detached garage and we put everything in there as our storage room. I have a contract with pest control monthly and no matter what they do mice still coming back because we stored some dry foods in there like dog foods,dry cereals and etc.I’ve tried everything to get rid of them but they only stop for days and then coming back again. So i knew i need to do something else permanent to get rid of them and this Best Indoor Electronic Plug in Pest Control is doing a great job it does what is supposed to do. We used to have alots of crickets, waterbugs and spider too but now since i plug this pest repeller in my garage i have never seen any sign of them anymore no more mice and no more bugs and insects inside my garage. This repeller has been working really good and im so happy with it.
Folks, Do as I say… Find, Bengal Roach Spray. It’s made in Baton Rouge,LA, I believe. Spray it near your doors inside and out and trust me, after they crawl out to die, that’s the last you will see for months. It’s odorless. Matter of fact, it’s so odor free, I wasn’t even sure if it was actually spraying.
I use it around the perimeter of my house outside and that’s pretty much it.
Good luck
That is really good stuff. I manage an apartment complex and use it to give to people who report roaches until the exterminator can make it out to the unit and most of the time I don’t even need to send the exterminator back to the unit. Also if a family is moving in from a badly infested building I will buy them a couple of cans so that while they are packing they can kill as many as they can. It works.
I purchased some from Wal-Mart yesterday. A 3 pack. One in the kitchen, my daughter’s room and my room. Sitting here on the bed and see one run right pass the one plugged into my daughter’s wall…think I’m going to go get my money back!!! I will figure out another way!
I have chinchillas. Will this hurt them?
Sometimes takes a few days but they work! Something about the vibration they don’t like and eventually leave. Have them plugged in every room!
Do they work on snakes.
Alas, these are utterly ineffective in our home. I should have read reviews before I purchased.
I purchased one, a week ago, to control fleas and bugs. Also, we have some spiders. The fleas activity was reduced. I don’t want to say that it stopped totally yet. My arms are getting a chance to heal now from the bites I get when sleeping. I believe the product works. I have not seen a single spider around. It’s important to get rid of clutter around the house because ‘things’ will absorb the sound. It may depend on what product brand you purchase. I purchased the “Transonic Pro Electronic Pest Repeller”. I got mine from Gardenfun.com but you might find them somewhere else also. Give it a week or two to see results. My husband agreed about the change in our home.
There is one, having tried many that actually works here in Spain. It is a free app for iPhones and iPads and you can download it from iTunes here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ultra-sonic-mosquito-repeller/id1116453268?mt=8
Insects don’t have ears, and rodents get used to the sound.
Haven’t really tried electronic pest controllers but I think they must work on some or all pest especially ants I’ve noticed when their on my counter and I cause a vibration they instantly run around frantically like they’ve lost all control of direction
In a word for squirrels,no
Im a bass player and whenever Id be practicing loud I’d be hearing all this scurrying in my ceiling. Yeah I have rats in my attic and my bass guitar was pissing them off. Rats don’t like Intrasound waves vibrating them so along with traps and tons of decon and shaking them up with my bass I’ve been killing lots of them.
I’m visiting Canmore, Alberta, Canada from the US and the Canadian Tire I was just in definitely sells 2 brands of ultrasonic rodent devices. So the gentleman that said they are banned in Canada is incorrect. Sept 6 2016
I moved into my newly built home one year ago, I had some ants last year and lots of those black long bugs with the pinchers on the tail and a couple other types of bugs, had a mouse the first night I slept here. I bought a six pack of repellers at Costco and have them all plugged in one in garage and four of them in second floor.
I dont have any pests whatsoever, I don’t live in he city and we have dirt roads so there are definitely bugs around so I have to say they work.
I think it depends where they are plugged in, my outlets are minimal and builder put them in sideways, I didn’t plan how to put them in I just put them where I could but they work. I live alone so I can’t call someone to kill bugs for me and I am terrified of bugs so I am happy.
Bats are pestering me. Are these ultrasonic pest repeller effective against them?
There’s a bug spray thats available at kmart. Spray around the outside of house. Wont hurt your pets, dogs , cats ,fish, lizards, Then spray at base boards on inside of house. NO spiders , bugs, When the bugs come out there a pain. those mosquito plants work. And I used Bell &Howell Pest Repellers as far as I could tell they were working with the mice. Bugs come out from April to October. But I used Decon for my mice. Put pest Repellers in every room of house & basement. Use inside & outside spray as needed.
We had mice in our kitchen and garage, but it’s been five years since we installed ultrasonic units and we have seen no sign of them! So from our experience the Homeowners report was too conservative.
I live in an apartment had have used ultrasonic pest control for 10 years. A few months after moving in we had a mouse problem, put down those sticky pads and bought my first ultrasonic plug ins and have been using them since 2006. After the initial problem, we spotted a rodent in Nov, 2011, rfreshed the units and no more problems until Sep 2015, which kind of surprised me because we change them every 18 months. We replaced the units and replaced them again in April of this year. It is now October and we have suddenly becme infested even though. Even though the units were replaced just 6 months ago,, we replaced them yesterday, and put down sticky pads. I’m hoping this will get rid of the disgusting things at least for the next 6 months (when we plan to move). I don’t know what happened. The plug ins worked for us for 10 years. Now I feel dirty and feel like everything in the house needs to be scoured, but I need the rodents gone first. I do have a spray I can use, but it smells so bad It kept everyone around here choking for hours.
I haven’t used them yet but I bought 5 of them for 2 dollars n some change each off eBay ….so I spent 11 dollars n change all together for 5 of them…..I got a new apartment. .the neighbor has a infestation of roaches..so there where roaches..and spiders..omg.. I used insect fogger in each room …a boric acid ..and roach gel in the corners and crevasses…I haven’t moved in yet ..even though I’ve only seen 1 roach everytime I visit…so I just hope these ultrasonic things work..and keep everything out ..I have a 1 year old..we can’t live in there until every insect is out
I used one electronic ultrasonic pest repellents, it works very well.
$13.99 for Amzdeal Pest Control Ultrasonic Repellent with coupon code: GEXBLLRK
https://www.amazon.com/Amzdeal-Ultrasonic-Repellent-Electronic-Mosquito/dp/B01M12JRKB
Hey, just wanted to add my 2 cents here.
Guided by a benevolent neighbor i bought a “cheap” rat poison ($48+shipping). It was a bad investment; found 1 squirrel dead, 0 rats.
Decided to try some traps, guess what !? Spent another $60 for 2 traps in vain. No rats were caught in almost a month, nevertheless rats became less and less shy, sometimes appearing in broad daylight.
We have a bird feeder that is the most incentive for rats in our yard, and they started nesting beneath our shed wall.
With our last hopes, we found an article online about a rat spray that was said to make miracles. We thought it was impossible that a $5 spray would do any good, but what the heck, we’ve place our order. In two days, our package arrived, and in the next day the rats were.
http://sosrats.com/repellents/rodent-sheriff-rat-repellent-spray/
I don’t know how this worked, they were just gone. No dead bodies in sight, no bad smell from hidden dead rats, just gone. The spray has a pleasantly mint aroma, which seems the rat hates.
What these actually do is cause rodents to panic so they shoot off in all directions. If your infestation is really new, the pests may decide to move elsewhere but otherwise, like any other noise, they will simply get used to it as part of their daily life. In my experience with mice and rats, the only sure thing to do is make sure ALL food is out of their reach and lay good, old-fashioned traps. If you don’t like kill-traps, remember to release your humane catches *at least* 3 miles from your home and preferably the other side of a busy road or river to make sure they don’t simply return.
They definitely worked for me, after plugging them in it took about a couple of weeks then no sign of mice I put traps and poison down as well just to check for activity
I don’t know about insects because I don’t have a problem with them
Most of the praise coming from comments below are because they’re including links to try and SELL you these devices.
None of these reviews actually discussed the purchaser’s experience with the ultrasonic device, nor answered the question about if it works or not. Perhaps 1 or 2 out of twenty actually said that.
I bought 4 of them – still have a problem with mice and insects. Wasted my money big time! Going back to traps, spray, vacuuming every other day, and maybe a couple of cats!
We had a bad rat problem that sounded like they were doing olympics in the attic every night! My wife bought the Pestacator 2000 from Home Depot. She plugged it in and that night not a sound. We have been rat free for 5 plus years.
I have bought various ultrasonic pest repellents. They tend to work for a short time only. For really great results we bought an electronic mouse trap. The trap is as easy as throwing a piece of chocolate digestive into the tunnel like structure. You then switch the device on and wait. We caught our first mouse within 10 minutes and were surprised to catch 21 others over the next week. It’s a little expensive, but, really does the job for those of you who need an effective and non-messy way to get rid of Mice or Rats. Here’s a link to it on Amazon http://amzn.to/2lfCnGU
Will it work on bedbugs or fleas
From what I understand whatever you’re trying to repel gets use to the sound. The idea would be to get one that does random sounds at different frequencies so they don’t get use to the pattern. I’m not sure if there is a product that does this?
These devices don’t work ….insects cannot detect the signal and rats get used to it in days. A scam…save your money and get old fashioned traps
WE BOUGHT FOUR OF THESE UNITS AND AFTER 30 DAYS THERE WAS AN INCREASE NOT REDUCTION IN THE RATS, MY UNCLE HAS OVER 30 BITE MARKS FROM RATS IN HIS LOW-INCOME APART AND APART MANGER REFUSES TO HELP AND HEALTH DEPT CANT DO ANYTHING, WAITING ON PERMISSION FROM POLICE TO ASK SOMEBODY IN NASHVILLE FOR HELP BUT THAT COULD TAKE MONTHS,MY UNCLE IS 68 AND SICK NEED TO GET THIS RAT PROBLEM SOLVED, THANK YOU
Sonny, Rats would not bite a live human. It must be something else. Bed bugs?
I bought four of the plugin ones off Amazon. They specify the range they work and we get mice in our basement. I plugged them all in downstairs except one I put in my garage. Surprisingly they did work, even on spiders. This was two years ago I think, but a few months ago they stopped working. They may of stopped working sooner because a year ago two stray cats made a home of my garage and the deal was they can stay and I will feed them if they catch mice lol. Which they do lol.
I bought one after my apartment was infested with roaches that came through the wall from another apartment in my complex next to me. My apartment complex came in and found my place 3 times and it failed to work. So I spoke to Super who I happen to be friends with and he told me to get one of those electric ones that you plug into the wall because that would make it stop. So that day I went out and I purchased one just one plugged it in the wall and believe it or not I’ve never seen one again. Not only did it work against roaches it was pet friendly my cats and I are two of them. Did not react to it at all. I seem to think that they work great not only did it work on that but my friend had brought bunch of bags in from her place that she was staying in and I was failed to be given the information that she had had bed bugs a few days later I seem to get bit a few times all over and noticed that it was probably bedbugs it had been a year since the last time I put in a new plug-in in my plug and I bought said it was good for a year. After I put the new plug-in in it was the same brand I’d gotten in the past it got the bed bugs to go away as well. Now that I have moved into a house I’m noticing this is my second year here I’m having problems with ants I’ve yet to have to put one in my house but I am about to go get one tomorrow and put one on I will repost and let you guys know if the kind of worked for ants or not.
guys I am relocated in Vietnam where I was facing big rats(about 50 big rats) in our company I bought traps from eBay when I was in London, but i am sorry to say it only worked on mice sometimes and had no effect on big rats, I used following procedure to kill all the rats.
first method
used one/two teaspoon of baking soda mixed with rice (any kind) belive me or not it will kill them
second method
mixed 2 teaspoon of cement with white rice bolied but dried i am using this method from last 1 year and its also kill all of them
in vietnam baking soda is difficult to find so i use cement method. when i was in pakistan ,it was easy to find baking soda so i used baking soda method to kill rats and it was very effictive way to kill
These devices have worked for us for about 25 years– not the same ones because every few years I’ve bought new ones. We live in Florida and those awful palmetto bugs occasionally come in from the outside. When we get one, it doesn’t live long. I notice it first behaving strangely and a few days later find it dead. The devices have worked for us and with more safety and less expense than an extermination contract. I put them in my mother’s house which was overrun by mice. Everything the exterminator tried had failed. The devices has her mouse free in two weeks.
I have lot of cockroaches in my home. I have tried all the ways but they come back after some days. I havent used electronic repellents. Tell me how much effective r they and is their any other way to get rid of them.
In reading people’s comments, one notices very little sharing of what brand of electronic repellent they used that was successful. Please anyone share in future.
Of Mice & men: New York City mice are very hip–they are averse to any type of traps, no matter what type. But it’s important to know that mice come from somewhere, out of a hole, anywhere in apt, especially if NYC apt is old and its caulk re base board is weakened. I’ve had mice
rip wood, floor tile and subway tile from wall over and over, so one needs to look for those holes and patch with caulk and patch mouse stickies on top of the caulk. It is important to look for the source of entries to patch up, otherwise they will continue to enter apt or house.
If anyone can provide me with a successful electronic repellent that has various sound frequencies, and/or one that really works, I’d most appreciate it. Thank you sl
These are a scam. If you think they work and they work for you, great. But there is no scientific evidence to support that these work by the NACHI and other organizations.
Notice to all the posters here that use these electronic repellers in apartment buildings. YOU’RE DRIVING ALL YOUR PESTS INTO THE ADJOINING APARTMENT, AND WE DON’T LIKE IT. Have a little consideration for you neighbors. If you insist on keeping food out, dirty dishes in the sink, or a filthy apartment, KILL the bugs and rodents. Don’t send them nextdoor.
A “victim” of one such thoughtless neighbor.
Can ultrasonic pest repellants attract pests? I installed some 2 days ago and now I am getting silver fish and an almost infestation of flies that I never had before.
Yes these plug INS really work most definitely
I have never used one of these , but all i can say is the best way to stop cockroaches once and for all is to use these plastic hectegon shaped plastic trays of about 5 cm in diameter. hen i moved into a new house a couple years ago, i was panic-stricken to see literally hundreds of roaches all around. A friend of mine recommended these small trays and believe me the last roach i ever saw was 3 days after i scattered these (6-7 of them) on the floors of each room. No one roach at al ever since! It says on the package there is a kind of food inside the tray that repels the poor things so terribly that they never want to come anywhere within a mile of it!! One thing though, its not available everywhere. Just check out for it on Amazon or others. The brand name is COMBAT. It is perfect solution, and very cheap, like 10 bucks, and lasts for a good year.
I bought several of them, placed one in each room and have not seen any of my friends since. Feeling a bit lonely now.
I’ve pruchased the Plug2Repel and I can tell you its worth the money,
My cheap landlord decided to stop having the pest control company come spray for roaches. Now we have roaches. I have tried everything from spraying to boric acid to fogging. Nothing seems to work. I just want to know if these electronic devices really work??? Just cut the nonsense I just want to know if they really work?? Especially if I’m gonna spend money on them.
These devices are a bunch of BS they don’t work and I’m guessing some guy sits around typing these good comments. Don’t buy these pest devices waste of money. My comments won’t show up just be deleted.
How about diatomaceous earth? It worked for me, as far as insects like ants are concerned, or just about anything that crawls.
Claiming it controlled cockroaches, my mother used to seed the underside of the house with ‘daddy long-legs’ from our previous house (we were military and moved a lot, often into less than desirable housing). Other than Alabama… she was right. I’ve tolerated a lot of spiderwebs over the years and only ever had cockroaches in apartments that were routinely sprayed. If these ultrasonics drive away spiders as some claim…watch out.
Living on a lake in Norcal lotsa spiders flies etc. Cats brought in some fleas so put in 5 of these electronic devices with high amaxzon rating from actual purchasers. Flypaper and sticky traps show drastic reduction in corpus and fly’s went away pronto. I put 2 pest strips ( toxic ) in attic spray bedding with Vets Best and cut up generic Seresto flea collars in 1 inch strips under cover and pet towel ( silver threads antimicrobial ). A battle with insects requires a combined assault.
I am terrified of mice, i bought one for each room and my hallway coming into my apt.,,never had mice,,my upstair neighbor was rampet with mice i told her about the U LTRASONIC PEST REPELLENT ,she got a package and put one in each room and hall way,,, in a few days ,,no more mice,, i have used them for years and yes they do work i change to new ones about every three years…everyone in my building has them in their apartments ,, so we’re all protected…
Bell and Howell pestrepellers 10 pack on HSN DO NOT WORK .They do not remove bugs already in the home. I called the company itself who suggested I open a window so moths, flys , and other flying insects can fly out!!!!!! What about what flies in at that time?? I was very disapointed in the B & H reply. They promised to call back and I never heard from them again. I had to use poisonous sprays to take care of the problem myself.as the moth problem was spreading all over the house and to adjoining apartments. Save your investment . They don’t work at all.
Hi
On the farm we had many mice in our chicken cage after the chicken food and the mice were a big problem due to excreting in the chicken food as well as bringing in the various snakes to feast on the abundance of mice. (cobras, puff adders, boomslang).
We found a simple bucket with some water in it, 500ml coke bottle, wire through the bottle connected to each side of the bucket, peanut butter smeared about on the coke bottle. The rats/mice come to eat the peanut butter and roll off the bottle into the bucket of water. Caught 9 mice within the hour..
Why doesn’t Consumer Reports do testing on these devices and make recommendations? Maybe they don’t do the testing because they know they don’t work at all?
Seriously….most insects cannot hear. Not at all….Crickets, katydids, cicadas and mosquitoes can hear sound. A few moths and flying mantids can also hear the high-pitched sounds bats make and avoid the bat, which is pretty cool! Beyond that, however, most insects are deaf, such as roaches, beetles, ants, dragonflies, etc. How does anyone actually believe these claims?
Those insects “without ears” actually “feel” vibration via sensors in their bodies, somewhat like sharks have ampullae of Lorenzini in their snouts, or a snakes flickering tongue. You needn’t have “ears” to detect vibrations in nature.
On another note, I had one of the first of the electronic bug repeller devices, gift from Mom, something like 15 years ago or so and a spider made a web on and around it. I have them now and they seem wo be working. after 2 rodent infestations.
I don’t think that any commenters can truly say if the devices work. I do not see that any scientific experiments were conducted. Were two residences setup with exactly the same conditions both with mice. One serving as the control and one serving as the test? If you don’t evaluate using a scientific method with a control, you really cannot draw a valid conclusion regarding the effectiveness of the device.
to people who say diatomaceous earth works, you are lying. It does not work at all. I can’t believe there are so many people willing to keep that BS alive. I had fleas and spread it all over my house up to a quarter inch deep. Fleas just laughed at me. I used it because I did not want to use any chemicals as I have cats. I found something called fleabusters and (ortho-boriic acid) I was afraid it would hurt my furry friends but decided to give it a try after speaking with a few people who used it, so I took a big spoon with holes in it, scooped up some of the fleabusters powder and softly dropped the spoon every few inches to release a small amount of powder and spread it over the carpet. About 10′ by 10′. Then Took a plastic paint tarp, laid it over top of the powder and walked all over it. Vacuumed it up with my dyson animal and voila! fleas became history within a couple days. Cats were not affected and life returned to normal. Anyone who says diatomaceous earth works is trying to sell it to you.
I used 5 gecko lizards in my apartment years ago to get rid of some roaches. after release the lizards hid under the furniture and ate roaches till they were gone ( roaches and lizards ) I guess they followed the food.
Quick answer. They don’t work! I found this page while researching how to deter rats in walls because I literally have one right now in my wall. It kept me up all night chewing and scratching at the wall. The wall it is on has one of these devices plugged in to it. I turned it to the max setting and still the little turd was scratching away. It could care less about the noise. It’s more annoying to me than the rat. Don’t waste your money. Lucky for me, I bought mine on a flash sale from amazon so it wasn’t too expensive. Waste of money. It’s a gimmic that people are getting roped into like every other gimmic.
Insects do not have ears per say but I believe most insects can hear.
After seen an add on tv for one of those plugin ultrasound s I ordered one. This was three weeks ago
The thing hasnt arrived yet. Pd $29.95
We had rats and mice pretty bad our house smelled like a rat cage. I cleaned my house spotless could not get rid of them they would not go after poison or traps they stayed clear of them. I am pregnant and was getting to sick from being home. After being gone at my moms for two weeks because I couldn’t deal with the smell and the rats my husband wanted me home so he got 5 of the small rodent electronic plug ins for our room and bathroom and one big one for our living room and kitchen. I have two dogs haven’t affected them at all. But after my husband plugged all of these in he called me and said he got them. Not even 24 hrs later i came home. my house didn’t smell nearly as bad and haven’t seen any since except for one. cleaned my house again and haven’t seen any droppings or pee stains anywhere. The one I saw I’m pretty sure ran out. My house is spotless and smells amazing and it’s been 2 weeks so I’m pretty sure these work. We have had a rat problem for almost 6 months and now they’re gone.
We’ve had a mice problem for years, tried traps which work but I hate emptying them. Also had a problem in the garage, mice put grass seed in the car’s air filter. I bought two of the small plug in ultasonic and put them in the garage, no clue if they work yet. Then one in the bedroom where I could hear them scratching about at night and early morning up in the attic (where I cannot get to). The first night heard the mice for a few minutes, then nothing. The second night heard them for a few seconds then nothing since and it’s been 3 weeks. I’ve since plugged 4 into the basement to cover all walls and no mice have been caught in the traps and can’t see any evidence they’ve been there. As far as I’m concerned they work, tho for how long, don’t know.
Well I used to be one that said they were junk. I have three homes in the country in Illinois. It seems the key is this: Don’t buy the cheapest and there is definately a critical mass issue (you need enough of them). It’s been 3 years now since I “relaunched” them and I can say they can really work if you apply them correctly. You need one per room (two if it is a big room) They must not be blocked by something. Higher works better than lower. Lastly what you will find is that you will see more activity from mice the first week or two because it makes them kind of crazy but by 2-3 weeks they get sick of it and leave. get the ones that send out both an audio signal and one on your electric wires and also get the ones that change the frequency now and then so that nothing can get used to it.
No they don’t work and I say that after using 3 different kinds to rid my car of mice. What works great is a 4 legged creature that goes ME-OW.
I order item on Amazon for $37.00
Had for 1 week, seeing more activities, I use six plug -in s. All in living/dining area……still early, but I’m kinda dissapointed. I will update if any change Occur.
WORKED VERY WELL ON ME. AS LONG AS IT WAS BEING USED, I HEARD IT. I GUESS IT PUT THE CRITTERS TO SLEEP, ONLY, WHILE IT WAS ON.
They work, period. Had one installed I my kitchen and I have not seen a roaches in 3 years
Can you plug ultrasonic repeller in sideways r upside down so it fits. Also behind sheer curtains.
I think these work on dads.
Found some free apps for my phone so I am trying it out!
Leaving the phone plugged in and the app running all night. It has different frequencies to choose from, so I will change the frequency each night. That way the rodents won’t get used to any one frequency.
Had a mice problem went to Home Depot and got the electric repellent was sitting on the couch and saw a mouse roll from under the device to under the couch still have traps saw one mouse that got caught on the trap trying to get out but no more problems it has been months.
Does a variable frequency deter mice etc. such as the Senqiac model RR3000, which varies 23 to 62 kHz?
Just go out and by a ballbearing mousetrap. Comes under the trade name of TOMCAT.
We have two of those devices but they do not work much if at all. A simple curtain will block the ultrasonic sound.
We have a couple of cats, only problem is wife feeds them all day long so they will not catch mice/rats. If she isn’t at home for a few days/weeks, I tend to give the cats only a single small meal per day and keep a few outside. Then rats/mice are reduced drastically.
So take a good cat or two (Siberian cats if possible) and feed them as little as possible and you will have very little problems with rats/mice and so on.
They are intended to do so, it is the best food for them and they have a happy life!
Do these work on my boss? She is a pest, so I’m thinking it should.
Several years ago, my parents had a mouse infestation.
My father trapped around 25 mice in just a few days (and there were defiantly more).
I bought one of these Sonic Pest thingies at a Walmart for like $9.
Plugged it into a socket in the kitchen, where he was trapping them (under the sink), and they were gone overnight.
The location of this device, was on the opposite side of an island. So it did seem to go through solid furniture.
I just recently found out I had some mice in my own kitchen. Went and bought a couple from my local supermarket (Shop Rite). We’ll see if they work as well…
Rats and mice have always been a problem in this rural area as they live in the wild areas not far from buildings. Vehicles in my carport were frequently infested and nothing would stop new rodents from coming no matter how many were trapped or poisoned. I bought a VENSMILE Fireproof Rodent Repeller several months ago. I attached it to a car battery and placed it hanging on the wall in the center of my carport. FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAVE NOT SEEN EVIDENCE OF EVEN ONE RAT OR MOUSE IN THE CARPORT NOR IN THE AREA IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE CARPORT FOR THE LAST 4 MONTHS! A couple weeks ago, I put it in our watertank house where rats had been living for years no matter how many were killed – They all left that night and have not been back since! I would say that that is proof that at least this one works. It has a varying signal that is claimed to prevent rodents from getting used to the sound. I have just bought 8 AC ones to put in the house and basement. If they work I will be very happy! Have tests been run on the newer multi/varying sound ones? If not they should be tested separately from the ones that have only one ultrasonic sound.
I ordered one of these off of eBay it was one of the really expensive ones from eBay not one of the cheap ones from China will it work on bed bugs or flees or mites ?
Hi, Nicole,
We receive numerous questions about specific products; due to the high volume of mail we receive, we do recommend contacting the manufacturer for that kind of information.
In this case, you can find the contact details at https://greenshield.com/ and http://www.victorpest.com/.
Good luck!
A few years ago I had two Ultrasonic Cix machines to keep mice and packrats away from the vehicles. I had lost 2 motorcycles and a truck up to that time to rodent infestations. The nearest neighbor 1000 feet away started to complain about HEARING the machines. She called the cops, file a lawsuit and her insurance company A–S—E send a team out here to take measurements. The insurance company doesn’t care who they harm if you are not one of THEIR policyholders. Their “experts” “detected” the sound at varying places. This woman won her lawsuit, a lot of money from my homeowners,t and the judge ordered the ultrasonic machines removed and never replaced. Since that ruling, I’ve lost another truck and have resorted to poisons. As for this neighbor, the manufacturer claims that ultrasonic devices are inaudible to humans and do not cause harm. Yet SHE claims that she can hear them 1000 feet away! She must be a rat! (She is!)
There is a pest control guy who comes into our apartment and spray our apartment unit every Monday. After inhaling the fumes from the spray I developed severe allergy. Then I bought one of those electronic pest control and plugged it in one of my wall sucket, and I’m happy to say I got rid of the roaches in my apartment unit.
OK, I live in southern Italy, a tiny part of paradise on earth. I am in the middle of ten million Olive trees, quiet, no pollution, no noise apart from the noisy birds, owls and Bats at night as well as the squeaking of noisy MICE. I was humanely catching up to five every night and rehoming them a safe distance away, UNTIL, (drum roll) I discovered these sonic noise mice scarers, since the FIRST night that I installed them, I have not seen a single little micey, NOT ONE and even the so called deaf mosquitoes and other flying nuisances, so YES these little devices do work and work really well.
Glad to hear the devices work, Gerry! Thanks for your comment.
What technology does it use and how does it work? Does it pose any risk of cancer? Does it produce radiation?
in 2005 I bought a new Acura. Rat damage to the wiring cost $1,500 to repair. I placed a Victor ultrasonic repeller under each (2 cars) engine ( replacing with a new unit about every 4 years). No problems until a month ago- our 2015 Subaru had $2,300 worth of damage to the wiring. Checked the repeller- the light was working, but no sound. (The other still works, no damage.) Replaced the defective unit. They work, but must be loud and close.
@Real Person While the ability to hear ultrasonic frequencies around 20,000 Hz is rare, some with particularly acute hearing can, myself and another member of my family included.
After being driven to distraction by the transformer noise from electronic devices such as tv’s, computer monitors, fluorescent lights and anti pest devices my parents sought out my GP, and I was initially diagnosed with tinnitus. However, knowing it was the devices I was hearing, as unplugging them stopped the noise, my parents paid for a private hearing tests which proved I was able to hear frequencies beyond the supposed 20,000 Hz barrier.
In the past because of my hearing acuity I have been invited to, and taken part in studies to test why some people are able to hear these frequencies that many cannot. Even now, as I get older and the noises are not so acute, I still hear the high pitched squeal from many electronics, which I can assure you is most unpleasant.
Scientists have also shown these frequencies can induce headaches and nausea in some people who are otherwise unaware of their presence.
I’m familiar with the Ultrasonic repellers–I bought two of them last year after discovering squirrels in our new home. They were scratching around all through the walls and even between the first and second story floors!! I was very concerned about the damage to insulation and wiring. We were told they would only work in ‘open’ spaces–so I installed them in the attic space. It took nearly 3 1/2 months but seemed to be ‘mostly’ effective. They are very persistent and keep trying to return. I’m hearing one again recently. I was wondering–has anyone tried the ones that work ‘through the wiring’?? That is supposed to be effective between floors and walls!
I have been using a rat repeller from Pestrol in my shed, as I have been seeing droppings all over the place. Since installing the device I am yet to see one dropping or a rat in a place. It may not work for everyone, but it did for me, so I am glad I tried something so I dont have to use traps or poison. I have read up on some of the scientific research, and it all depends on what frequency the unit is set to. I think some devices are not as effective as they don’t have a correct setting that rats or mice can here. So if you want to try a unit, make sure you do a research on the company.
I have been using a rodent repeller from Pestrol for the 2 years and want to share my experience. I’ve had problems with Rats and mice as long as I can remember. I could always hear them in the roof and sometimes would see dropping in the kitchen, so I knew they were around. Was originally using traps but had enough of it and wanted to find a better solution. I did my research on electronic repeller and it was a mix bag of reviews but decided to try Pestrol since they offer money back. First 3 weeks when plugged in – I heard more mice activity and was just about to return it. Thank god I didnt, after about a month, all the noise was gone and no droppings in site. I was told if you see more activity, its usually a sign rats trying to find its way out. So for someone who always had some mice around and last two years – none, it definitely provides results. Maybe that depends on which repeller you get.
To Rob C – you are not alone in being able to hear these frequencies. It’s embarrassing when everyone else can’t hear what you can hear. I thought I was a nut job lol Just like everyone else thought in the family
I have used these rat deterrents and yes I can hear the sound they emit. I have had some success with them.
I wouldn’t use them on their own. You needs traps put out as well. Good quality spring traps.
THEY DO NOT WORK. DOWNLOAD A FREE FREQUENCY COUNTER FROM APP STORE, TURN IT ON AND PLACE IT NEAR DEVICE. THERE IS NO FREQUENCY TRANSMITTED FROM THE DEVICE. JUST MAKE SURE EVERYTHING AROUND YOU IS QUIET. THE MIC ON YOUR PHONES WILL PICK UP AMBIENT SOUNDS, HOWEVER THE DEVICE SHOULD BE PRODUCING A CONSTANT SIGNAL.
WORKS WORKS WORKS. At least for me, I got mice from moving boxes from a relatives house, and by the time i realized the issue I was freaked out. But i plugged one into an outlet in each room and i could LITERALLY see and her the little critters moving. They did not like it. I of course did not like the fact that there were enough that I could see and hear them. I unplug the things every other week or so and leave them out for a while so nobody gets used to the sound.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community, John!
Take care. 🙂
Simply put, for mosquitoes the Ultrasonic repellers DO – NOT – WORK. I had a bad time returning one of those chinese gadgets back to Amazon in the first place, imagine if you bought from another, less customer-centric marketplace.
its a chiitting pest not working anything do not buy this type of product
when plug the device i keep itv24/7. i want to ask do i have to chance the device or it keeps on working for life?
I live in a one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor and have been here for 4 years. Suddenly within the last 7 months I’ve had mice in my kitchen. I set out the traps and once a month 1 mosce would be caught. I had enough. So I purchased the ultrasonic mouse repellent and plugged it in last month. I have not seen 1 mouse dropping ever since. I am thrilled and I highly recommend it. I understand the mice may get used to it so I might unplug it every other week ,but for now I couldn’t be happier.
I live in a one bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor and have been here for 4 years. Suddenly within the last 7 months I’ve had mice in my kitchen. I set out the traps and once a month 1 mouse would be caught. I had enough. So I purchased the ultrasonic mouse repellent and plugged it in last month. I have not seen 1 mouse dropping ever since. I am thrilled and I highly recommend it. I understand the mice may get used to it so I might unplug it every other week ,but for now I couldn’t be happier.
Our problem is rats in the garden that continue to eat all the vegetables and fruit that I try to grow. We didn’t get one single passionfruit this year – just little piles of chewed shells………….. My problem with trying these rat deterrents is we have a german shepherd dog and I am afraid the noise might affect his ears. He hears everything. Anyone any suggestions. I won’t use poison. Thanks
Folks, find the source of entry. Patch it and no more mice. First time after 20 years in our house we found mouse droppings. Discovered a chew hole under the kitchen sink where a pipe enters. Patched it. No sign of mice for 10 months.
I had a mice problem several years ago, They entered around the kitchen pipes under the sink. I read that putting steel wool in the holes would prevent mice from getting in your house. It worked. I haven’t seen a rodent in several years. They do not like the taste of steel.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community, Henry!
Take care. 🙂
Hi,
Just bought one of theses made by MEDWIC, it is both Ultrasonic, and Electromagnetic, so will be interesting to see if it actually does anything. It doesn’t say if it automatically changes the frequency though, going to send the manufacturer, an email.
I think a lot of these are ultimately manufacturered in China, so it’s worth trying to get something ‘branded’.
I had squirrels in attic space and used a pest control company that specialized in animal control. They figured out where the squirrels were entering and sealed some of the entrances. They also installed a one way door on one location to allow squirrels to leave but not get back in. Pest people came back in a week or so, checked for squirrels and then finished sealing up attic. No squirrels since.
I also had them go through entire house and seal against mice.
IMHO, these ultrasonics are just a bandaid. Find your entrances and seal. Also don’t leave doors open because mice are super quick.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community, F!
Take care. 🙂
I found the information helpful. My wife and I live in the woods and my own belief is that the more rural/remote life you want to live, you have to understand that insects and critters are going to a part of your life that you have to be always on guard against letting them get established and taking over your home. A person needs several protection methods and traps. Also one needs to rotate brands of insecticides. Most of all, make sure all doors and windows are shut and screens are in excellent condition and that any entrances are sealed up ti keep animals out of your home.
For the past year, I have received reports from my auto mechanic that my car has evidence of rodent infestation in the engine. Not sure if this means rats or squirrels. We have both in our neighborhood. Do the plug in ultrasonic repellents work outside? I have an outdoor electric outlet. Car is not housed but parked in driveway. Any recommendations regarding brand and placement of device? Concerned that these critters might cause serious damage to the engine or wiring.
Although a dearer solution I have three cats.Occasionaly a mouse wanders into the danger zone(our home), and the boss cat ,a tomcat , has a play with the rodent while the other critters just watch the action.The mouse finally escapes and nothing is seen for 12 months or more.Vet bills make this pest control method moderately expensive but guaranteed.
Ulta-sonic pest repellers are an outright fraud and every single manufacturer or distributor for them knows that. Therefore ,any brand selling them is compromised and does not have reliable integrity…..let that be a gauge of where your loyalty goes. These repellers first appeared in the 1970s and sounded like a miracle that would change things . At that time I requested any scientific study supporting their claims from the distributor and I actually received it. The science showed rats had an initial avoidance reaction which faded over time. That dwindled down to 0% impact after 100 hours of exposure.
Understand that these companies are blatantly selling snake oil and notify them that they have lost your trust and your business as a result.
Do these work on bed bugs?
DM
Hi, Cecilia,
Studies show that ultrasonic devices don’t work on bed bugs: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20121206/ultrasonic-bedbug-devices
As always, we recommend checking each manufacturer’s claims, as they may vary.
Best regards!
I purchased two of the Ultrasonic Pest Repeller for my daughter that lives in Florida. She has ants really bad. She has them positioned in two different areas. She is still having to place her pets food dish in a larger dish with water in it to keep the ants out of her pets food. She will also see a trail of marching ants across her floor. I am going to asume they don’t work.
For those who are still seseing a trail of bug pests. Bug trails can be erased by wiping them down with vinegar. It erases the trail for the other bugs to follow which the bugs leave.
Have used this prevention measure for years…seems to work with rodents only. The limits are that rodents will go elsewhere if the unit(s) are placed and operating. However; if they are in nesting stage they will not retreat if it’s cold outside. They will brave the noise rather the cold. I suggest year-round application. Inaudible dog whistles have been proven effective for their purpose. These rodents will retreat. As the other comments state “use traps also and seal the holes”.
Do not use poison… loose a rodents body and you will smell it for months. Cage traps are humane but, I choose not to be humane in the case of rats. Snap traps are final and cheap.
I Bought 4 Pest Repellers T3MCO and i did notice a reduction of flys entering my home in Portugal but they only worked for about 4 weeks we had a thunderstorm over night next morning they did not workm anymore i had a look inside and could see no signs of burnt out components fortunatly the supplier returned my money does anyone know why this would happen or is there a way of fixing them please
Don’t use rat poison. I live near a creek and reserve and rodents do come around. My neighbour used rat poison and I found a dead ringtail possum in my yard. I don’t know for sure what the possum died from, but as he likes the possums. And of course pet dogs and cats could eat a poisoned rat and die too! A solution that I have found that works any time I have heard ‘scratching in the roof’ is to dip an old rag in some cat’s wee from the litter tray and (because my house is an old weather board it has a few holes in the weather boards here and there) and push the rag into the cavity behind the weather boards and replace every few days (cat obliging with some clean wee free from litter.) Any ‘unwanted tenants’ in the roof must be able to smell the urine of their natural enemy because it has worked. Sounds a bit gross … but better than rodents in the roof!
Thanks for sharing your tip with the TodaysHomeowner.com community, Heather!
Take care. 🙂
I had 4 of them from my condo in Miami, cleared the place of bugs, ants in particular. I never had a mice/rat problem there.
Used them later at my Dad’s house for 2+ years as his caregiver. He had a dog and she wasn’t in any distress from using them. He was pleased with the effectiveness of them without having to use bug sprays around his pet.
After all that, I continue to use them over the past 5 years & picked up an additional 6 pack, so I now have 10 of them spread out in my new house. Last week I found the remains of a dead rat in the back yard. Can’t say whether it was ever in the house, but it was at the back of the property line near a wooded area.
I have the luxury of being rural, so I get natural predators such as hawks & owls, maybe not so fortunate for certain types of snakes. But the food chain is definitely in play around my home/property. Whatever is or was in the house, I want that driven out of the dwelling and into play in the food chain. Feral or even neighbor’s cats also patrol the area. I’ve seen deer, fox, rabbit as well in the neighborhood, so I suspect there are coyotes, FL panther, even black bear in the area.
I am sorry to hear rats attavk cars. I do hear sound above 20khz, and depending on their inte sity, can be annoying. I avoid car pest controllers and i’ve met once a devuce installed in a home, most probably to repell dogs pissing on the entrance carpet. I orderef 4 hibrid (magneyic+ultrasound) devices for mice infestation. I am curiuos how will work better, on them or on myself.
Let us know how it goes, D!
No more terro/ghost ants after 2 days so holding my breath!! I bought the TBI Pro Ultrasonic Pest Repeller on Amazon as it was their best seller and highest rated by customers. I live in Florida where the the tiny ghost ants are very hard to get rid of and the giant Palmetto cockroaches are prevalent too. I hope this continues working as I am so happy!
I don’t recommend use cat urine to repel rodents as one user suggests.
Many cats carry the Gondii parasite which can spread to humans through contact with urine. It can lead to permanent neurological symptoms.
It also can affect rodents. Infected rodents become attracted to the smell of cats.
You might think your cat is not infected but why risk it?
I will say one good use for these. We had our upstairs over run with a protected species of bats and to have them relocated would have been expensive and most places I called actually had said they could not do it. I purchased a few of these and although they did not keep the field mice away, they did however make the bats decide to find a new home. The ones I had upstairs broke and the bats came back shortly after, I replaced them and they left again.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Aine!
Do the ultrasonic pest deterrent plugs ins use a lot or any electricity?
Hi, Irene,
Electricity use varies based on the product.
It’s best to check each package’s specifications for electricity use.
Good luck!
I was brought to this site through researching to see if Ultrasonic Pest Repeller’s really worked. My home is being overrun by little Black Ants and I have these devices throughout my home, I’ve been spraying also and the Ants keep showing up in another location. I’m convinced these don’t work since the Ants seem to just crawl around them and don’t seem to be phased a bit by them. If they do work then I need some convincing and judging by all the Ants I’m trying to get rid of that isn’t going to take place with me.
I have tried several different brands of ultrasonic pest repellers on Amazon. Most work for about 2 weeks then become ineffective. Don’t waste your money. If you want to get rid of bugs and mice, buy cheap glue boards. THEY WORK!
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community, Arthur!
I have started using them and I do have a decrease in insects. I know this because for years I always had spiders in my garage. We go to Florida for the winter I used to come back and had flies or ladybugs all over the floor. For 2 years now I plugged 8 of them around the house. I had very few bugs when we returned in the spring. I won’t say I didn’t have any bugs but I had very few where before I had a lot of dead bugs all over the house. I swear by them! not 100% but a whole lot better!!! After 15 years of going to Florida I don’t come home to lots of bugs or mice in my traps.
Dont talk pish. It works.! for 50 bucks I will send you super silica diatomaceous earth.
I have had them for 2 years. I have had an increase in bug activity, especially fleas and spiders. I had a snake come inside my house, in the room the devise is in! And my cat is afraid to be in the rooms that have devises in them. I am unplugging them. I think they have made my problems worse!
I have used these ultrasonic repellents in the past. Had to stop because it made my town home neighbors garage door remote malfunction. Would not operate the garage door opener at all. My door remote was fine. I unplugged my pest device and her remote returned to normal function immediately. Is there newer technology now that doesn’t effect other electronics?
thank younfor all info has been very enlighting,have and will take all info in consideration
thanks again
art
My name is Larry and I am a Norway rat..Years ago the people I was living with put up electronica devices and got rid of the rat traps..It was amazing as the music it made was beautiful. It led to me and my wife having babies,Our family is big and there was no longer room for the humans we lived with so they moved out and we currently run their whole house.I suggest to all humans out there to stop using traps and start using these only
I received a charge for several pest controls and i didn’t order them . I purchased 3 of these units several months ago
and still have two that i haven’t used yet . I will be returning these and expect you will return payment.
Thank You
Hi, James,
We do not sell these products, so we would recommend contacting the manufacturer for product-specific questions or concerns.
Good luck!
Tonight I went online because I heard scratching in the wall. After reading some comments from 2015, I realized I had unplugged the ultra sonic pest control things about a month or so ago. I found 2 out of three. I plugged both into the same wall where I heard the scratching right behind my head …creepy. I plugged 1 in normally about 3 or 4 feet away from my head, but the second I plugged into an extension cord and turned it facing the wall behind my head & next to the yard (opposite to the directions). I kid you not ! The scratching STOPPED IMMEDIATELY! i’m a retired old lady living in an area of 250 homes surrounded by Halloween cornfields and pumpkins. This was the second really cold day in a few years, that’s when the field mice seek shelter. I’m not a pest company person and don’t have animals, so I guess I am a good mouse target. I haven’t heard a sound of return. Who knows why? Yay!
I heard from an old guy that used to work as a, zoo keeper apparently one of the best things for getting rid of rats and vermin is lion droppings also believed to be an excellent way of keeping cats off your lawn and yard area. So if you know anyone with a lion it might be worth a try.
No hi technology needed just a lion.
From what I understand I thought it only works to keep mice out of your home
they definitely do NOT work in my experience. I’ve see one bug just hang out on the device more than once. And I swear I’d see more mice when they were plugged in.
I bought 6 plugged them in and 1 out of the 6 is making a noise when plugged in. How come.
Hi, Kevin,
We recommend contacting the manufacturer for product-specific questions.
Good luck!
I’ve been keeping a light on since I saw one big roach a few months ago. So, tired of sleeping with a light on–I bought 3 Bell & Howell brand “electronic pest repellent” plug-ins. I think they’re giving me a headache? So, I am reading these posts to find out more. I appreciate this forum, many convincing arguments for & against.. I don’t have any pets, I also don’t live in the country or an apartment building. Sorry that my reply isn’t more helpful, as I just started using the plug-in 2 days ago…I may post more later?
Hi, Carlo!
Your reply is very helpful! It’s always nice to hear about other people’s experiences and where they’re coming from.
Please let us know how the plug-in works for you.
I had bugs and mice. I installed two of the devices years ago. Since them, I’ve noticed a great reduction in insects and have had no mice. My instinct is they DO work.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community!
I recently purchased a six pack because of a roach problem. When the lights go out they start to party is seems. I am not sure if they work or not. I keep thinking that they are being driven out, but they don’t seem to disappear, I am still using bug spray as well.
Hi, B.J.,
Roaches are attracted to food left out, crumbs and moisture (particularly plumbing issues).
An infestation could signal a larger problem.
Just some things to consider!
Hey so in summer our neighborhood gets chipmunks and I think one is in our ditch. Around here no one likes them and my parents definitely would want to kill it somehow, or at least talk about hoping our pets would. They chew on car wires. But I still don’t want it to have to die since I love squirrels and they act the same and I’m afraid that it will be a mom with babies since summer is breeding season. I couldn’t live with anything happening on my watch to little babies even if they are pesky rodents, and one of the cars is mine. If the electronic method doesn’t work, are there any other non-lethal deterrents we can use and still have tree squirrels if possible too? We are putting limestone down on the sides of our house, will this help prevent burrowing?
Hi, Emily,
We recommend setting a humane animal trap to catch those chipmunks!
First, check local wildlife ordinances and make sure this is an option where you live.
Then, place traps, according to their directions, where chipmunks seem to frequent.
Finally, release these rodents miles away.
Good luck. 🙂
I’ve successfully used electronic rodent repellers for several years now. What I’d like to find is an IPhone app or computer software that can detect the sounds that are transmitted by the repellers. A lot of people who say the repellers don’t work, may be using repellers that are not transmitting sounds. It would be great if there were an app or a computer program that could be used to verify a repeller is actually transmitting sound.
Good point, Milton! In this age when just about everything is monitored with smart devices, such a tool would come in handy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in this discussion.
This Pest Magic is completely JUNK!
Going ti return this rubbish and want my money back.
Hi Cornelia! We’re sorry to hear you had such a bad experience! Thanks for sharing with Today’s Homeowner community.