An ultrasonic insect repeller is a fairly effective and convenient thing, but only if used correctly. Such a device can really scare away a considerable percentage of certain insects, and in some cases even rodents (in the house and in garden plots).
A classic example of the use of ultrasound against insects in the home is to repel mosquitoes. The effectiveness of the devices in this case is explained quite simply:
- Mosquitoes use ultrasound for communication, which they produce with their wings - with a thin sound of a certain frequency, they warn their relatives of danger.
- Ultrasound is also used by active mosquito hunters - bats: with its help, winged predators navigate in space and detect prey. It is not surprising that when mosquitoes pick up a characteristic squeak, they instinctively try to leave the dangerous place. Accordingly, an ultrasonic insect repeller that imitates such sounds will effectively repel mosquitoes.
As for synanthropic insects (cockroaches, bedbugs, domestic ants, etc.), they do not use ultrasound for communication, which means that a conventional low-power ultrasonic repeller (that is, household) will be ineffective against them, which is confirmed by numerous reviews of disappointed customers.
Generally speaking, very high power ultrasound is quite capable of scaring away pests - for example, industrial ultrasonic rodent and insect repellers, used mainly in warehouses and open areas, work on this principle. However, ultrasound of such strength is harmful to humans, especially with constant or regular exposure, and therefore powerful electronic insect repellers are not used in domestic conditions - you should definitely not try to turn them on in the bedroom at night.
It is surprising to see advertisements in which small ultrasonic devices a little larger than a matchbox are positioned almost as a panacea for any unwanted living creatures in the house: from cockroaches, spiders, bedbugs, flies and other insects. And the consumer, tired of the fruitless fight against annoying pests and parasites, so wants to believe that it is enough to plug a neat magic box into the outlet, and it will save you from problems forever ...
Review
“Our department received an order a year ago to check and test models of ultrasonic insect repellers available on the market. I will not name the customer so that I am not accused of advertising, I will only say that this is a large retail chain that is ready to spend serious money on checking equipment and really effective protection of warehouses.
We bought 17 models of repellers, including those that are sold only abroad with delivery to Russia. The experimental stand looked like this: in the center of the room there was a cage with rats and containers with insects, at an equal distance from which one device was turned on and worked for several hours. During this time, laboratory assistants recorded all deviations in the behavior of animals and insects from the normal. Our task was to find such a device that would cause the most intense anxiety of the test subjects.
As a result, it turned out that out of 17 models of ultrasonic rodent and insect repellers, the behavior of cockroaches, mealworms and rats was somehow affected by the operation of only three devices that are not used for domestic purposes. Two of these devices are not sold in Russia, one is Russian-made. All these means cannot be included in bedrooms and in places of rest of people. And besides, there is no one hundred percent guarantee that insects and rats will try to leave the scene of the sound, because hunger is not an aunt, but they can endure discomfort.
Oleg Vladimirovich, Moscow
The whole variety of electronic scarers
Despite the general principle of operation, all ultrasonic insect and rodent repellents can be divided into several groups, depending on their power, scope and design features.
So, some of the most powerful electric repellers are designed to scare away birds and rodents in gardens (including not only mice and rats, but also moles). Such devices include, for example, the Bird-X TX-Pro professional ultrasonic outdoor repeller, the LS-2001 device, the KG321 repeller, the Electronic Cat and some others. It is impossible to use them in rooms in which people are located, however, unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to this. (see review below).
Review
“We would like to express our gratitude to the manufacturer for the Electronic Cat product. While we don't know how effective this rodent repeller is, it does an excellent job of keeping mosquitoes away. We did not see a single insect in the house this summer, despite the fact that we constantly kept the windows open and did not hang mosquito nets. Since we do not hear this ultrasound, we left the device to work in the bedroom all night and nothing interfered with us.
Inna, Kyiv
For use in workshops, garages, warehouses and granaries, a whole line of industrial electronic insect and rodent repellents is produced. These include, for example, XL-200, UZU-03, Typhoon, etc.
A very extensive group of ultrasonic devices are mosquito repellers for apartments. The range of such devices in regular and online stores is quite wide, although the effectiveness of repellers and their appearance are approximately the same.
As a rule, these are small devices with a plug for plugging into an outlet, producing ultrasound that is inaudible to the human ear. Against insects such as cockroaches and bedbugs, as practice shows, they are of little use, despite the assurances of the sellers. As a repeller of mice, rats and other rodents, they are also not suitable due to insufficient power.
An example of this group of tools are Riddex, AR140, SmartSensor, Ecosniper, Zenet and many others like them.
Review
“We bought a Riddex insect repeller in the hope that it would help get rid of cockroaches. As a result, after two weeks of continuous work in the kitchen, there was no noticeable effect from it. There were no fewer cockroaches, at night they crawled just as boldly under his squeak as without him. Already in the fall, we bought an electric fumigator from insects in the apartment, and only after it worked, the cockroaches began to die. Conclusion: these pests need to be destroyed, not scared away.
Tatiana, Kolomna
And, finally, for even greater convenience of consumers, small ultrasonic repellers are produced in the form of key chains, watches or bracelets that are worn on the wrist or cling to the belt, and when turned on, repel mosquitoes from a person on the street. It is worth noting that when fishing or in the taiga, they are unlikely to be able to scare away thousands of mosquitoes or midges.
Review
“I decided in the middle of summer to buy myself an ultrasonic insect repeller for fishing trips, because mosquitoes gnaw very hard, and it’s inconvenient to walk all the time in clothes and a bee mask. I ordered two key chains via the Internet, which need to be hung on a belt. At first I just tested them in the country, they worked well. But on the river they failed. Painfully, the mosquitoes are angry here, they don’t pay attention to these repellers at all. There are two modes of operation on the device, one is more powerful. So, none of them work on mosquitoes on the river. Therefore, you can buy such an insect repeller only for home use, and it’s better to take a can of DETA for fishing.”
Alexander, Kherson
Universal insect and rodent repellers
Separate discussion deserves ultrasonic repellers, positioned "from everything and everything": from all rodents and insects.Entrepreneurial sellers do not spare any money for advertising such devices, but in reality - after the purchase and the "tests" carried out - it turns out that the repellers do not cope with their task, and the money was simply thrown to the wind.
Review
“We bought a Pest Reject mouse and insect repeller in order to get rid of rats in the basement. I am terribly afraid of them, and my husband was on a flight. The device does not work. More precisely, it works, but there is no sense from it. Rats lived and live, despite the fact that the device works around the clock. When my husband returned, he simply set up a rat trap and in a week we caught 4 rats. After that, I had to make repairs, close up holes and put things in order, but now the basement is clean.”
Olga, Ryazan
When choosing an ultrasonic electric mouse and insect repeller, it should be remembered that the more powerful the device, the more dangerous it can be for humans. Powerful professional repellers of the LS-2001 type cannot be used in residential premises due to their negative impact on the human psyche and nervous system.
If ultrasonic electronic rodent and insect repellers are positioned as household and at the same time supposedly absolutely safe for home use, then this is suggestive: either the seller is silent about the harmful effects of ultrasound (if the device is powerful), or the device is not really effective. Judging by consumer reviews, such devices are often not able to scare away not only cockroaches, but even mosquitoes, not to mention the more “serious” pests - rodents.
And further: Smoke bombs from insects - a quick killer thing ... (the article has more than 10 comments)
An example is the widely advertised ultrasonic rodent and insect repeller Riddex - a device that actually does not really help with mice and rats.
If you still decide to buy a powerful ultrasonic repeller (for example, for use in some non-residential premises or outdoors in the garden), then remember that such a device will be quite expensive, and you need to look for it in large reliable stores. If the device is suspiciously cheap, then the sound it makes to repel insects is unlikely to be terrible for rodents.
Mosquito repellent keychain
Ultrasonic insect repellers in the form of a keychain are mostly made in China, and their cost on the market is about 150 rubles. The key fob starts repelling insects immediately after switching on.
Such a miniature ultrasonic repeller works in two modes:
- the first is a squeak that imitates the sound of danger made by mosquitoes;
- the second is a low crackle, similar to the sounds made by bats (this mode is considered the most effective).
The undoubted advantages of the ultrasonic key fob are that, firstly, it is very compact, and secondly, it can continuously operate on a conventional battery for about a week.
Review
“For the sake of interest, I bought such an ultrasonic keychain and a bracelet on my hand. Their effect is incomprehensible. In the house, mosquitoes do not seem to touch, although if I go out into the street, they immediately begin to bite. The electronic bracelet repeller ran out of steam in two weeks, and then the key fob worked for the same amount - I turned it on in the afternoon and in the morning.
Galina Ivanovna, Lipetsk
Riddex repeller and reviews about it
Riddex is one of the most advertised ultrasonic insect and rodent repellers today. It is a compact, plug-in device that repels mosquitoes from rooms up to 200 m².
Sellers claim that the device is equally effective against any insects and rodents, however, having tested the repeller in action, for some reason many buyers are convinced of the opposite.
Review
“We ordered Riddex for 430 rubles, zero effect, cockroaches just crawl on it. In the end, they had to be removed with Dichlorvos and poisoned gel.
Sergey, Moscow
KG321: the universal soldier?
KG321 is one of the semi-professional ultrasonic repellers, oriented to use in warehouses, industrial premises and basements. This device can really be called universal in terms of use, since the device allows you to adjust the frequency of ultrasound and its power. Thanks to this function, the repeller can be used both at home - to fight mosquitoes, and in warehouses - to remove pests of grain and groceries.
The price of this ultrasonic repeller is about 2500 rubles.
Bird-X Transonic Pro: industrial scale deterrence
The Bird-X Transonic Pro repeller is designed to repel birds, insects and rodents in orchards, vegetable gardens and open grain storages. This ultrasonic device operates in five modes, each of which is focused on certain pests. As mentioned above, it cannot be used inside residential premises, as well as where the ultrasound emitted by it can directly affect a person for a long time.
The price of the Bird-X Transonic Pro device is about 8,000 rubles.
Starting to use any ultrasonic insect repeller, you must first of all carefully study the rules for its operation. Some devices, for example, cannot be turned on indoors when people are present. Other devices must work strictly on the streets, and only a few repellers do not have such restrictions in use.
Remember: ultrasound, even if we do not hear it, still affects our body, and depending on the power and duration of exposure, it can cause headaches and nervous breakdowns.
It is for this reason that it is not recommended to assemble ultrasonic insect repellers with your own hands. Without special knowledge and experiments, it is difficult to guess what frequency and power sound will still be safe for humans. Considering the variety of offers on the market (and not only on the domestic market), it is much easier to buy a ready-made device from a reliable company and use it for your own pleasure.
An illustrative video demonstrating the ineffectiveness of one of the universal insect and rodent repellers
But this electrical device does not scare away, but destroys mosquitoes and flies in the house
We have a domestic repeller in our house. I suspected that it was impossible to install a powerful device in residential areas, so it scares away mice and rats either in the attic or in the garage. Sometimes I just install it on a garden plot, fortunately, the device can also work from a battery or batteries.
I bought a Riddex repeller for 1450. 2 months have passed, cockroaches have only increased. Bullshit.
Cockroaches appeared in my apartment, I wanted to buy ...
Complete nonsense. I bought this miracle device called RIDDEX. He worked for 10 days, the mice ran and ran, but this is not the worst thing. Fortunately, I didn’t sleep and was near the house, I heard a pop like from a cracker, I went in to see what happened, and lo and behold, the whole house was in smoke, and this miracle was burning in the socket, equipment and furniture were damaged. So if you value your life and your property, do not buy this nonsense.
After all, I initially understood that there could be no panacea from several representatives of the animal world at once. And I protect my harvest with the help of a sufficiently powerful ultrasonic rodent repeller. It's good that at least there are no mice in the apartment.
It did not work on insects and animals and will not work. There is a science called physiology. So that. Kind people! Such babosiki are made on lice incompetence that you never dreamed of! No offense.
Bought two.The keychain is normal, I hung it on the keys and forgot it, the second one hangs on the stroller so as not to forget to attach it, it drives away mosquitoes and midges, it costs 83 rubles.
I am afraid to install such devices in an apartment, but for the garden I took an ultrasonic repeller sititek Pegasus. It is installed far enough from home, so I hope there is no negative impact on people. But the birds fly around the garden sideways, not a single pecked berry during the season.
Bought Riddex, lights up in three colors: blue, yellow and red flashing. Zero sense, but the children like it - we use it as a night light. Before you buy something, look for reviews about the device on the Internet.
P.S. Mosquitoes both flew and fly.
People, don’t buy a leomax device to protect against all kinds of insects - this is such bullshit, flies and mosquitoes sit on the device and they don’t give a damn about any waves there! In general, their products are rubbish.