In response to concerns by consumers over the health and environmental effects of chemical pesticides, manufacturers have developed alternative technologies to keep unwanted insects away from your home and lawn. Some employ electromagnetic waves, radio waves or even more obscure technologies that promise to confuse, frighten or kill insects. But before buying any of these products, it's important to consider their efficacy. Does this Spark an idea?
Ultrasonic Frequencies
Ultrasonic is the name for the band of audio frequencies above 20,000 hertz that are too high for humans to hear but that insects and other creatures can perceive. Devices that emit ultrasonic pulses have long been used in dog training, to repel deer away from moving cars and in many other devices. Newer to the market are products based on the same technology that claim to bother insects and repel insects.
Ultrasonic Insect Control Devices
Ultrasonic insect control devices were spurred by the discovery that mosquitoes use wing-beat frequency to locate their mates during mating season. The thinking was that if you could build a device that disrupts or interferes with the mosquitoes' ability to perceive wing-beat frequency, you could prevent them from breeding or at the very least encourage them to breed somewhere else away from your home.
Efficacy
Numerous studies have demonstrated that ultrasonic insect control devices have a temporary effect at best. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission in 2001 threatened manufacturers with legal action if they continued to make claims to scientific evidence that proved the efficacy of these devices. Researchers found that the signals generated by ultrasonic devices are either completely ignored by insects or they merely temporarily bother them, causing them to leave briefly before they return.
Considerations
If you are concerned about spending money on a product that may not work as advertised, you may want to stick with proven methods of insect control, such as chemical insecticides or the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach that combines the use of chemical insecticides with biological, mechanical and preventative measures.
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