Electronic Pest Control

If you’re afraid of spraying chemicals in your house or harming the environment by using pesticides, there’s yet another alternative: electronic pest control devices. These devices have been around for more than two decades but have become more widely known only recently. This could be because they claim to be environment-friendly, as they work using ultrasonic and electromagnetic methods.

Whether or not they are effective has been a matter of debate as there isn’t adequate data available about whether they affect health and how effective they actually are. Those who deal in them have made a list of attractive claims to counter the well-known ill effects of regular pest control. Electronic pest control, they claim, is non toxic and non-invasive, leaves no residue, and is safe for family and pets.

Ultrasonic devices emit high frequency and short wavelength sound waves, which are above 20, 000 Hz and hence beyond the human hearing capability but well within the reach of pests like locusts, grasshoppers, moths, and lacewings, among others. However, while the electronics pest control devices claim that ultrasound can repel these pests, there’s little evidence to prove it. Some tests have found that while ultrasound devices may repel rodents for a couple of days, they return, rendering the device ineffective. Others have shown a variable degree of effectiveness. Whether it can cause damage to humans or animals in the long run remains another unanswered but crucial question.

Another device generates a pulse in electrical currents causing fluctuations in the home wiring, making the electromagnetic field around every electrical device also fluctuate. This activity is supposed to drive away rodents making the area around it unlivable. However, there is little scientific data to support this claim, especially because the electromagnetic field is too weak to effectively control the environment around it. The Federal Trade Commission has also warned companies dealing in such devices against making claims that haven’t been scientifically proven.

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