Yes!! They work. I wouldn't be without one or two since I discovered them. You will indeed get posts from some that say they do not work. I don't understand them but they appear. I will tell you that you can get them cheap, I paid 9.98 for mine and I've had more expensive ones. More money does not make a difference. Shop around and certainly try one or two depending on the size of your home. They chase mice and crickets and other things also without any harm to pets.

Donna, the ad said it was safe around pets. Do you have pets and if so, does it appear to affect them? I have both cats and dogs. Also have a pigeon. He is on back porch in a large aviary but would the vibrations reach there. Anxious to hear back on the pets. Thanks.

I always heard that these devices were a waste of money and now are seeing so many people raving about them. I sure am willing to give them a try at $9.98. Can you tell us where we can buy these cheap? We found one on the web for $38.00 which is a little stiff if it doesn't work. We have a camper parked at land we only visit once or twice a month. The mice got in and really did a number on it, and we don't want that to ever happen again. Thanks for any help.

Didn't get the ordering info from TV yet, but got this from another site: Ultrasonic pest repellants from
Heartland America
Item #Q9-6506
3/$19.95 Phone 800-229-2901

The old P.T.Barnum truism is still working. If these marvels of science actually worked, you would find them in every home in the nation. They work only in the minds of those that believe!

Don, I know this sounds too good to be true and probably is. However, I am getting desperate. I won't use poison because of pets. I bought a live trap and baited with peanut butter and chocolate which seem to be the concensus of most people, but only caught a couple. The mice are terrible and have even chewed through a wall; didn't mess around with finding a convenient crack to squeeze through. I am very worried about wiring and frayed wires causing a fire. I am beginning to feel like a person with a terminal disease grasping at straws. If you have any suggestions, I am completely open. However, don't suggest cats; I have lots inside and many of the neighbors barn cats are on my property regularly. These are brave little fellows:)

Just one, simple question Don ... have YOU ever tried them? Don't fall victim to old P.T.'s addage yourself. I've seen ants running in circles desparately trying to escape when subjected to an ultrasonic repeller. I've read the same "truths" that you have, by well-intentioned researchers who haven't actually tried them under "real world" conditions.

Why aren't they in every home in the nation? Because of exactly what's going on here ... the accounts from people who have actually applied them correctly are rarely believed by people who have never tried them but believe the hearsay on the net instead. I'm an engineer, and a hard sell, but I've seen these things work (when they're the right ones) and that's proof I can't dispute.

Good luck Nancy, but one won't do it, you'll need at least one, in every room of your home, to be completely protected. This may be the single biggest mistake that people make when trying these devices, so they end up thinking that they don't work in the long run. You have to make it unpleasant for the bugs everywhere except where they came from originally. They'll make every attempt to go back there.

Dave, thank you for your advice. You are so correct; I have read so many pros and cons and hated to spend money on an item that would not work. I assume that if they do bother my dogs or cats, it will be evident to me as soon as I plug one in. Do you have any suggestion as to brand? There are many on the market; some in the range of $10 and others as high as $40. I love living in the woods, but must find a solution before they ruin the house. Thanks again.

You know what? I can't fight fantasies. Prove there isn't a Santa Claus! How about the Easter Bunny? If these machines worked there would be one in every corner of every restaurant you have ever visited and more in your local grocery store. Both of which have insects and rodents running wild. What we have here is wishful thinking and just maybe someone who is trying to sell some of these machines. How is it the high pitched sound that you and I cannot hear is perfectly tuned to chase away insects, rodents and everything else we consider bad but our dogs, cats, birds, pigs, cows, horses and everything else you can think of is exempt? Explain that to me please!

Nancy, I am sorry I can't help you with your problem. I would give anything if I could. Let me give one more example why these machines are bogus. If they worked, why arent any of the large electronic companies making them? Where is Sony, Zenith, G.E., Toshiba, Mitsubishi or any of the others you may think of? With their expertise, they could make them for less money and cover the earth in an eye blink. Why do people want to believe nonsense and continue to swear to one another it is true?

Don - Perhaps Sony, Zenith, G.E., Toshiba, Mitsubishi or any of the others aren't interested in selling a $10 item. It's only a guess, obviously I can't answer that for sure. It's also obvious that you're not going to answer my question "have you tried them?" or know anyone personally who has? I think that you're simply trying to intimidate people with your hearsay knowledge and have too much pride to admit that you really don't know for sure.

Nancy - actually, you've hit it on the head, the 3/$10 Heartland offerings are the ones I've been using. I've had no reason to try anything more expensive. Our daughter tried one of the $40 units for mice in her kitchen and it worked as well.

Correction Nancy, the Heartland units were 3/$20 as you indicated.

Several times a day there is a lady on television with what may be a Jamican accent turning cards and telling an unseen person about their life. If you believe what this person is pushing, you can call that number and she will tell you what you want to hear for about $3.98 per minute. This machine that Dave is pushing costs about 2 1/2 minutes of that telephone time and you can talk to it for days on end. What a bargain! While you are at it, you can watch those varmints and insects run in circles.

Rather than "intimidate" or push "hearsay knowledge" I am trying to insert some common sense here Dave. Just explain to me how this machine is 'tuned' to put out the high pitched frequency needed to repel the undesirables and yet is harmless to our pets and children. Dave, I don't need to have my fortune told to know that is nonsense and I don't need to buy one of these machines to tell you these companies are in business because gullible people buy their products and people like you continue the lie.

People love to believe in miracles. It's human nature, I think. Consumer Reports stated, "Don't waste your money!" They reported that the ultrasonic pest repellers and the deer whistles are ineffective. EPA studies revealed the same thing. Why is it that consumers will believe advertising and marketing experts over scientific evidence? The manufacturers of these little miracle devices are laughing all the way to the bank. If you want to throw your money away, you can send it to me.

Don - Please don't lible* yourself by calling me a liar or by implying that I have something to gain by the sale of any of these units. If you can't maintain your position by remaining a gentleman, then the discussion is over. Remember, this is a public forum.

*Lible - action, crime or an instance of injuring a person's reputation especially by something written

Nice legal sounding post Dave. If you want to accuse me of something please spell it right so I understand. Could you possibly mean LIBEL?

Don,

You're right on the spelling, it was a typo, but on the real issue, we're all on these THS forums to help one another in the best way that we can. Your insulting me proves nothing, it probably just turns people off toward coming back to the forums and asking questions in the future. That helps no one. You're certainly entitled to your opinion of what the right answer is, on any subject, but at the same time you have the obligation to respect the opinions of others in a non-insulting way. Not everyone enjoys a "mud slinging" contest.

Dave

Hi Dave...I feel so sorry for some humans, don't you?
Cheers...Pat

Here's my story. We moved a mobile to some land out in the woods and were quickly overrun with mice, ants, and chipmunks. The mice were in the kitchen, the chipmunks were under the house pulling out the insulation, and the carpenter ants would flood the living room each spring. My husband and I tried all kinds of things, from DeCon to traps, to bug bombs, you name it. One day we saw an ultrasonic rodent repeller at Costco and bought one. We also got another one that was a different brand. I've had them in the house for four years now, and have not seen one mouse or mouse droppings (which used to be everywhere, behind cabinets etc.), I have not heard ANY scratching under the bathroom floor where we saw chipmunks before. And I have not had any ants at all ever since. Do they work? I wouldn't live in a home without them. The brands I use are Riddex and one by Weitech. My favorite is the Riddex because I cannot hear it. I can hear the other one faintly, although my husband swears he cannot hear it. I have a cat and a dog who are not the least bit bothered by them.
Hope this helps.
LeAnne

Well, I did it. I ordered some and will let you know my experience. I really do appreciate everyone's opinions but am sorry it started such a heated debate. I ordered from Heartland America; the brand is Sunbeam which is not a "fly by nighter" but whether they will work is left to be seen later. The price was right; a package of 3 is $20. I ordered 2 packages so that I will be able to have one in each room and one for the crawl space. I am supposed to begin seeing results in 2-3 weeks and will report back here. I should also be able to verify if they bother house pets (dogs and cats). If they don't work, you might be able to buy them "used" on ebay a few weeks from now. LOL

See what happened Dave? You sniveled long enough to get the old ladies mad at me.

Don, this old lady isn't mad at you. I'm mad at the mice:>) Like I said in my post about buying them, the brand is Sunbeam so I guess they are willing to make a buck on them and hope it is because they will work. At least I have to say Heartland is good to deal with; I received my order yesterday and they are now plugged in. Will give them 2-3 weeks to see if I can tell any difference. I did watch for any reaction from the dogs and cats, but they just kept sleeping so at least that is a good sign. Like the Saturday afternoon serials at the movies used to end with............To Be Continued.......

Nancy O, please post your experience with the machines. As you can tell, I am a non-believer. My wife is so terrified of spiders I bought several of these electronic wonders several years ago and found them to be a waste of money. The companies and individuals pushing them swear they will repel everything short of barbed wire. I don't think so! I will say one thing, if you think they work, use them! Thanks.

Don, I hadn't forgotten about my promise to report back. I was just giving it time so I could be as honest about them as possible. Guess I am old enough that if I ended up looking foolish for believing the hype about them, it really wouldn't bother me that much. LOL. Anyhow, about 3-4 days after being plugged in, I saw lots of bugs. I can't say whether they were suddenly showing up because of the units or because it is spring and so naturally more bugs. I did remember one poster saying that she felt the units actually attracted bugs. Keeping that in mind, I am going to assume at this point, that thinking it was attracting bugs is because they are normally in the walls or at least well hidden but were driven out because of the emissions. Also, and on the real reason I got them, I have not seen any evidence of mice in the last couple days. The instructions said to give them 2-3 weeks to work since the idea is to make living conditions for the critters so uncomfortable that they give up and leave. Today I have not seen one bug. It was only the 19th that I first plugged them in, so this hasn't yet been a very long trial period, but so far I am not unhappy with them. My only suggestion to you is if your wife is really afraid of spiders and it is, in fact, the units that are causing the influx of bugs and not just the weather, she may suddenly see more till they migrate away from the house. I think I listed the number of units I got. There were 3 in a package for $20 so got 2 pks. I have one in LR, KIT, each BR, enclosed front porch and one under crawl space. I made sure the outlets I was using did not have anything solid in front so that the waves could travel across each room. These didn't say for outdoor use, so I used an outdoor extension cord for the one in crawl space. I laid it on its side on a wood board so it wasn't directly on the dirt and pushed under the house facing the far corner. I will continue to update as I continue using them.

After initially seeing quite a few bugs the first week, things have settled down and haven't seen any for the past two weeks except for the occasional moth that gets in when doors are opened at night. Still no mouse droppings, so hope that is a very good sign. I will give another update in a few more weeks. This Fall when mice are really looking for a snug, warm place for the cold weather may be the real test. Keep your fingers crossed; so far I'm pleased.

Found this in the Los Angeles Times Sunday May 20th 2001.

The Federal Trade Commission's Division of Enforcement has sent warning letters to more than 60 manufacturers and retailers of ultrasonic pest-control devices, stating that efficacy claims about those products must be supported by scientific evidence.

FTC staff reviewed print and catalog advertisements and a search of Web sites marketing such services. The FTC found that many of the advertisements make explicit claims about the products' ability to eliminate rodents or repel insects. According to staff, these types of claims mayh not be in compliance with the FTC act, which prohibits false and deceptive advertising.

In the last 15 years, the FTC has brought law enforcement actions against six companies that allegedly made false and unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of ultrasonic devices in controlling rodent and insect infestations. Each of those cases was resolved by consent order.

The warning letters urge manufacturers and retailers of ultrasonic pest-control devices to examine their advertising and ensure they have competent and reliable scientific evidence to support claims that a product eliminates or repels certain pests.

I dont believe the stuff on tv either....I wait until it is VERY cheap and in the shops and by then they have many ppl who say they dont work and the key here is LIKE THEY DO ON TV.

Those vacuum storage bags...great idea....I've seen a lady's bag and I DONT know if they were the REAL ones or the ones from the local dollar store or not....but one of her bags must have leaked air or something because is wasnt sucked in as much as it should and was gathering condensation ....again it COULD have been because it was a knockoff cheap version, but who knows.

The point is....if these things(the pest devices) are being sold to you at very cheap prices...go ahead try them...in Australia they have only JUST been introduced in the last 5 or so years and we have had the yes and no ppl saying they work or reports they dont work too. No one can prove either way.

But the difference is that here they pest devices are being sold for $79.00......that's $40.oo to you....but ALOT to us.

If they become $10.00 here ($5.00 to you) then ppl might try them because it would be about the same as the amount of bug spray you might have used in the last month or so...so why not.

The only other reason is the attraction thing or that could be like the last poster said about first comeing out then leaving.

But the other reason might be whether or not the ultrasonic waves or whatever they are might be harmful LONGTERM to humans or babies or even animals...remember they have smaller brains etc and it could overwhelm THEIR systems. But then again Mobile phones are alot more dangerous, but remember your baby or pet ISNT talking on the mobile like you are, so whereas in comparison they pest device might not hurt you compared to a mobile phone, they might longterm be harmful to babies and pets by causing cancer etc.

Just a thought....

The ones I bought and which started this intense discussion were $20 for 3 units. Ads say to use one per room as the sound irritates critters rather than actually harming them. So the idea is to make each room in your home, crawl space, attic, whatever, unattractive to them. One single unit will not work for a whole house and may be why so many people who have tried them say they don't work. I bought 2 packages to have 6 units; enough for house and crawl space and attic. As I said in a previous post, I saw lots of bugs when first began using them. Didn't see mice in house, but I have house cats and mice were in walls, etc. and if they had more sense than the bugs, would not run into a room inhabited by cats. Now I am not seeing bugs and no mouse droppings in running areas like behind stove, cabinets, etc. So far I am satisfied and will wait for Fall when mice are more apt to come in. Neither the dogs or cats had any reaction when I first plugged one in and made sure they were in the room so I could pay close attention to them;they just kept sleeping.

Your last post was May 21, 2001 and I am curious to find out how it worked out. I have a mobile home out in the country and would like to know if I should buy some of those ultrasonic thingies...I don't like killing mice the old fashioned way so I have to wait for dh to come and empty the trap which takes a week sometimes and in the meantime I hear those little darlings digging away at the walls.

Linda, even tho we have had a very mild winter here, I am certain the mice would have come inside. However, I still haven't seen or heard any evidence they are in the house. Ironically, I have noticed more in the garden shed so perhaps they are the ones that used to live in the house and are retreating to the second best place. LOL. Whatever the reason - coincidence, mild weather or just better digs at someone else's home - for the first time in 15 years out here......no mice.

Nancy,
I'm curious as to how your pets are doing. Have you noticed any depression or have they sought new areas to sleep in? I would imagine what they hear would be similar to us hearing a constant 'hmmmm' in the background. Would bother some and not others.
I also would think pet birds would be more affected than dogs or cats.

Rita, I was also very apprehensive about the pets. When I first got the units I put the first in the bedroom where both dogs like to sleep. They didn't budge. I watched them all evening in that room and couldn't see any reaction. So I put the next one in the rooms where a litter pan is located. Figured if the cats were able to detect the sound or pulses I would see litter pan accidents but that didn't happen. So I put one in each room and ran one into the crawl space under the house. I do have a pigeon; he was a rehab baby whose wing never healed sufficiently to turn him loose. His large cage is outside on the enclosed back porch but don't have a unit out there. Surprisingly, his cage was always a source of attraction for mice since pigeons are very messy eaters and there is constantly seed spilled but don't see them there either.

I don't have pets but I can tell you, the device I bought in January, the documentation said it has no effect on humans, dogs or cats, but will affect rodent-type animals. It said not to use it if you have pet gerbils, hamsters, or mice.

I do not remember seeing anything on it regarding pet birds, though.

Mine seems to be working on the mice in my walls - so far, so good!

I saw your post and was happy you were having good results. I sure did take some heat when I first posted this and asked for others results. But they do seem to be working for me also. Mine also had warnings about any rodent type pets but said they were safe for pets. I don't remember if my instructions mentioned birds or not. Wasn't particularly looking for that since Walter isn't in the house where he would be exposed to them. But the cats and dogs don't give me any indication they "feel" them. Mine only make a very slight click when the light pulses but is hardly audible.

It is true that this subject generates a lot of heat on the forum! LOL

But what else is one to do if:
1) You can't find the hole they are getting into, to plug it.
2) They don't come out to accessible areas so you can't put bait out
3) Ditto for trying rags dipped in ammonia.
4) Ditto for traps.

I figured I'd keep the receipt and give the darn thing a try! I'll wait one more month before throwing away the box and receipt! :-)

Signed,

Karen, aka, rodent-free and loving it!

(now if DD ever wants a pet hamster, I'm in trouble)

You've heard the old addage "build a better mousetrap and some biologist will engineer a better mouse"?

I have to agree with Don on this one. We bought 2 of the devices at Wal Mart because I had found 2 mice.

Nothing happened. Day after we plugged them in, there was another mouse, then another. Finally we used Decon and the old fashioned traps, and they were gone.

Also, some of you may remember they used to sell a similar device attached to a dog collar to repel fleas. My grandmother bought me one from QVC. That didn't work either. My dog ended up with fleas that summer, same as he did every year.

Just because someone's opinion doesn't match yours doesn't mean you should attack them.

There was extensive research done on these pet repellers by the FTC had tests conducted on several of the leading brands and found that their operating frequency was in a range that did absoloutely nothing to repel bugs and mice and several were fined and forced to withdraw advertising.

It works like this.

They say you need to wait 2-3 weeks for it to work. Probably the mice go away for some other reason in that time. Usually that reason is that you are also using other methods to get rid of them in parallel: poison, traps, exclusion, etc.

Doesn't work? You need two. One isn't enough for your house.

Still not working? Maybe yours is defective. Try another brand.

Still not working? OK here's your refund, if you bother to claim it. You probably won't.

And that's how you Make Money Fast. It doesn't have to work. You just have to buy it.

Humans hear in the range of 20-20,000hz, dogs and cats can hear noises up to about 45,000hz, but rodents hearing range goes as high as 76,000hz. These devices supposedly emit an irritating sound in these very high ranges that only rodents can hear. I don't know about how Don formed his opinion but these things chased away all the rodents at my house. I never heard anything about them repelling insects or spiders and I still see plenty of spiders around here.

I started using mine in Jan. Still no rodents, although it seems to be ineffective on bugs.

Why doesn't anybody just get a mouse and plug the thing in then watch to see if the mouse gets annoyed? How does a mouse display annoyance, anyway?

We bought the Heartland ones shortly after I posted a question here in March of 2001. In our camper where we have had constant mouse problems for several years, we have not seen a mouse inside since we put one of these at each end of our 24' 5th wheel camper. Could be just a coincidence, I suppose but the camper is parked out at our farm where there are tons of mice and they are in every single storage shed.

If I had electricity in the sheds, you can bet I would have these devices in there also. BTW, I have a family of fox snakes currently taking care of the problem in the main tool shed!

A reason why these might not be working for some people is that perhaps the tone is blocked by a piece of furniture or something else. Put it in a socket where it can beam un-interrupted. In the camper, we have one at each end.

For those of you who think this could just be a "placebo effect", I don't think mice understand how that works.

Roberta,
Either that or they are talking about the homeowner, not the mice. But can it be that plugging it in made me deaf to the scratching in the walls? I sure hope not!

Or maybe it's a scientific trick, the tone from the device makes me not HEAR the scratching in the walls. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Ok, to doubters, if you have rodent problems, buy one, keep the receipt and try it, ensuring there is a 'line of site' from the device to the area where the rodents are. What do you have to lose, except the rodents?

And as I have stated before, it appears to have NO effect on insects at all.

OK. I started this brouhaha so will report back after having used them for over a year. Six units-plugged in each room and one in crawl space-no furniture in front to stop emissions-all season use now-lived in woods for 16 years and always had mouse problem. Know what? No more mice and no other deterrants used. I will not use poison nor allow any living creature to suffer and die slowly while their leg or part of their body is crushed in a trap.
For MY mice they do work....period. If others haven't had luck with them - are you using one in each room? These units don't claim to immediately drive the mice nuts so that they run into the toilet and drown. LOL. The frequency is an irritant; if they can find another room where they aren't irritated, they will stay in your "guest room". If no room is comfortable for them, they move. Works for me.

Hello People,

I searched the internet to find evidence for the claims made by RIDDEX and PEST A GATOR.The result, there is no evidence. These devices simply do not work. In television advertisements "reports" of the US Marine are shown.However, on the website of RIDDEX www.global-instruments.com these reports do not appear. Further I found this interesting link http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/electronicpestcontrol.html

and because of that information I did not buy the product.

Best regards,

Quirijn

If people buy these devices, I guess I could sell ice to Eskimos and have them highly recommend me.

Testimonials are free and sometimes you get what you pay for.