Rats contaminate and destroy enough food worldwide each year to feed 200 million people, according to estimates of the World Health Organization. In the U.S. rats cause between $500 million and $1 billion a year in property and health losses. According to the Centers for Disease Control, rats and mice bite more than 45,000 people each year. Rodent-associated diseases in the U.S. include plague, murine typhus, salmonellosis, rat bite fever, leptospirosis, trichinosis, toxoplasmosis, and hantavirus.
The rat population in the U.S. is estimated to be at least one rat for every person. Rats can jump three feet straight up, and four feet outwards. They can burrow three feet straight down into the ground; chew through building materials, glass, and cinder block; and climb up inside the pipes with diameters between 1 1/2 and 4 inches. Some 20% of fires of unknown origin are thought to be caused by rodents gnawing through electrical wiring. It's important to seal openings and cracks around pipes and wires and to fix damaged screens and doors.
A female house mouse gives birth to 6 young about 19 days after mating. She is ready to mate again in two days. She can produce 6 to 10 litters a year. Two mice starting to breed on New Year's day could theoretically have as many as 31,000 descendents by December 31.
Innovative Technology Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™
​
Frequently Asked Questions:
Simply click on number for an answer to each question:
1. How does an ultrasonic rodent repeller work?
2. Are All Electronic/Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers Created Equal?...
3. Why can't I hear the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™?
4. How does ultrasound affect rodents?
5. Will rodents adapt to the ultrasonic rodent repeller?
6. Can ultrasound be heard by my rodent family pets such as my pet rat or gerbil?
7. Does ultrasound penetrate through walls?
8. How much square footage will each ultrasonic rodent repeller cover?
9. How much does the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ cost to operate?
10. When can I expect results?
11. If I can't hear the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ , how do I know it's working?
12. How long will an ultrasonic rodent repeller last?
13. Does ultrasound affect insects?
14. Can ultrasonic sound waves be effective in repelling bats from attics and other inside areas?
1. How does an ultrasonic rodent repeller work?
Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ emit high frequency ultrasonic sound waves between 32 and 62 kHz to create an acoustically hostile environment that repels rodents from sound-protected rooms. It's more humane than traps, safer than poisons, environmentally sustainable and completely inaudible to people and non-rodent pets. More importantly, unlike traps and poisons, the Ultrasonic rodent repellers minimize human contact with disease-bearing rodents. BACK TO TOP
2. Are All Electronic/Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers Created Equal?.. BACK TO TOP
3. Why can't I hear the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™?
Ultrasonic sound is a frequency too high to be heard by the human ear (your eardrum cannot vibrate fast enough). People can hear sounds ranging from 20 to 20,000 cycles per second, while dogs and cats can hear up to 27,000 cycles per second. The range of other animals can be even higher. When measured electronically, these frequencies are expressed in "hertz", defined as a unit equal to one cycle per second.
Ultrasonic sound waves are frequencies over 20,000 hertz, or 20 kilohertz (kHz). Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ are designed to continually and automatically sweep an ultrasonic frequency range between 32 and 62 kHz, well above the hearing range of humans and common pets (cats, dogs, birds, fish). Rodents and some other pests can clearly hear these frequencies. At high intensity the sound can induce auditory stress. BACK TO TOP
4. How does ultrasound affect rodents?
Ultrasound can repel rodents by subjecting them to intense auditory stress. Very simply, ultrasound hurts their ears. This is a classic animal behavior modification technique. Unlike traps and poisons, ultrasound does not kill rodents. Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ have the ability to provide long-term reductions in rodent populations by creating a "rodent-unfriendly" environment that discourages rodent infestations. BACK TO TOP
5. Will rodents adapt to the ultrasonic rodent repeller?
No. Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers uses a complex "swept" frequency with multiple "peaks" between 32 and 62 kHz. Intensity, complexity and changing frequencies prevent rodents from getting used to the sound. BACK TO TOP
6. Can ultrasound be heard by my rodent family pets such as my pet rat or gerbil?
Yes, absolutely. Rodent pets include mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, and squirrels. Never install any ultrasonic rodent repellers in rooms inhabited by rodent pets as the sound will cause your pet severe auditory stress.
7. Does ultrasound penetrate through walls?
No. In fact, ultrasonic waves behave more like light than sound. Ultrasound cannot penetrate any solid surface (walls, floors, ceilings) or travel around corners. This is why you need an ultrasonic rodent repeller for each room where you have a rodent problem. To visualize how ultrasound travels, imagine that our ultrasonic rodent repeller speaker is a flood light. The sound will radiate outward in a cone shape, throwing "shadows" behind solid objects and casting very little "light" into other rooms. This house installation diagram illustrates how ultrasound bounces off hard surfaces to fill an average-sized home with ultrasonic sound waves. BACK TO TOP
8. How much square footage will each ultrasonic rodent repeller cover?
It can vary greatly depending on each individual room or space. Ultrasound is a directional sound wave. Its physical properties do not allow it to penetrate any solid surface. In addition, ultrasound dissipates rapidly with distance, and may have little effect on rodents more than 20 feet from the sound speaker. BACK TO TOP
The rule regarding square footage coverage is simple: an ultrasonic device can only cover the room in which it is installed; in a 10' x 10' room it covers 100 sq. ft., in a double car garage it covers 800 sq. ft. If the room is as large as 1000 square feet, adequate coverage can be delivered if there are not a lot of obstructions like furniture or stored products in the space. With obstructions, you will need to install more than one unit for maximum effectiveness.
9. How much does the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ cost to operate?
Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ cost less than 20 cents per month to operate on a 24 hour basis. Keep it plugged in at all times. Our ultrasonic rodent repellers draw only 2 watts. BACK TO TOP
10. When can I expect results?
The field test studies that Sonic conducted for Canadian registration showed a marked reduction in rodent activity in 6 to 10 days on average. BACK TO TOP
11. If I can't hear the Ultrasonic Rodent Repellers™ , how do I know it's working?
When our ultrasonic rodent repeller is plugged in, you will see a LED light behind the speaker grill. This light tells you the ultrasonic rodent repeller is working properly. You may also hear a very slight audible sound component if you are within 2 feet of the ultrasonic rodent repeller. BACK TO TOP
12. How long will an ultrasonic rodent repeller last?
The estimated service life of each unit is from 5 to 7 years. No adjustment or service is required. BACK TO TOP
13. Does ultrasound affect insects?
Some insect species can produce or perceive sound in ultrasonic frequencies and are affected by high-frequency sound. That is not to say that it can effectively repel them or control them. There has been little true scientific research to determine if ultrasonic sound generators could produce effective insect control results. Sonic makes no claims that ultrasonic rodent repellers can be used for insect pest control. We believe that it is improper for any company to make specific insect claims unless backed by peer-reviewed scientific studies. BACK TO TOP
14. Can ultrasonic sound waves be effective in repelling bats from attics and other inside areas?
Sonic Technology Products makes no specific claims regarding the effectiveness of our ultrasonic rodent repeller in repelling bats because the way bats respond to high frequency sound can vary significantly depending upon the time of year. Between December and June, bats are roosting and hibernating. They will not leave their nest, even if you introduce high frequency sound. They give birth to their young in mid-February and will absolutely not abandon them, no matter how noxious the sound is to them. The only time high frequency sound produces a repellent effect is from July through the end of October, after their young have flown off and before they roost again for the winter. In our view, bats are extremely beneficial and their habitat should be protected. Bats are the single best controller of the insect kingdom. Bats may eat as many as 600 mosquito-size insects in an hour. An average size bat colony may eat 1/2 million insects in one evening. BACK TO TOP
15. Doesn't ultrasound just chase rodents from one place to another? Doesn't it make more sense to kill them with traps and poisons?
Traps and poisons come with a heavy price. Poisons can endanger children and pets while both traps and poisons require the handling of potentially disease-bearing rodents. Additionally, new rodent populations will almost always replace the ones you've killed. Using ultrasound in your pest control efforts is environmentally sustainable and can result in long-term reductions of rodent populations. Rodents will limit their population to the available food and shelter in their environment. BACK TO TOP
​
16. What else can I do to discourage rodents in my home?
In addition to using ultrasound, the CDC recommends sealing your home or business. Patch screens or gaps in walls and doorways, keep foods well-sealed and food preparation areas clean so you don't attract rodents in the first place. Ensure the area outside your home or business is free of weeds, wood piles, and debris. BACK TO TOP