Manufacturers began to market ultrasonic insect pest control devices to consumers between the mid '80s and '90s, in part due to health and environmental concerns over the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in and around the home. These devices promise to use sonar-like technology to scare away insects, spider, small mammals and other pests with loud noises. Knowing important information regarding the effectiveness of these devices prior to purchasing them is essential to deciding whether they are the right pesticide options for you. Does this Spark an idea?
Ultrasonic Spider Control
Ultrasonic devices designed to control infestations of spiders and other pests are marketed as natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. The devices promise to use high-frequency sound waves, those that are above the range audible to human ears but that many other animals can hear, to shock and disturb unwanted pests and compel them to leave. Ultrasonic devices usually go in areas where pests are thought to be; the device broadcasts the noises in the hope that pests will seek other areas, that are free from the noise.
Effectiveness
A range of researchers do not support these devices. Barb Ogg, extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for example, writes that "[t]he consensus of researchers who have actually investigated ultrasonic devices is these products do not effectively repel or eliminate pests from homes." Leonard R. Askham of Washington State University echoes Ogg's view, noting that "[m]ost insects and animals hear or feel the same range of frequencies that we do...[i]f a sound or frequency doesn't bother us, it is doubtful that it will bother pests." If anything, research has indicated that ultrasonic devices have a temporary, at best, effect, compelling pests to leave only until they become used to the sound and deal with it.
FTC Controversy
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged numerous manufacturers of ultrasonic pest control devices with false advertising, claiming that the manufacturers made scientific claims to the effectiveness of these devices that were not verified by actual science. A series of letters sent from the FTC to manufacturers advised them to re-evaluate their advertising claims and to eliminate those that are not supported by any scientific evidence.
Other Considerations
In closing her remarks on ultrasonic devices used for spiders and other pests, Ogg employs the old adage that if something is too good to be true; it probably is. Consumers flocked to ultrasonic pest control devices in part due to chemophobia surrounding the use of chemical pesticides and in part due to the relative simplicity of plugging in a ultrasonic device to an outlet and letting the device do the pest controlling for you. Other pest control methods such as sanitation, exclusion, trapping and occasional use of chemical pesticides are more labor-intensive but are also more effective at controlling spiders or any other pests that occur in and around the home.
Tags: chemical pesticides, other pests, pest control, control devices, pest control devices