Have any of you seen the Riddex Plus? It's a little device you plug into a wall socket and it sends digital pulses through your electrical wiring which supposedly drives bugs and mice away. The Riddex Plus website says "laboratory tests have proven that Riddex Plus really works." but I have a hard time believing that, if it really did, that extermination companies are still in business. So, anyone out there have one?
These types of devices can't really do much at all unless they are in an open layout room with little to obstruct them. Soft furniture like couches simply absorb the sound waves instead of bouncing them around the room. I've had similar devices in several places I've lived and they really didn't seem to have any effect at all. Worse yet, a few of the brands I could actually hear the sounds from them myself. The point is to drive the bugs out of my place, not me, lol.
I've read bad reviews of the Riddex Plus online and many people who bought it still had infestations. As ohiotom said, a Riddex Plus might work in a big empty apartment but a lived in place full of furniture would absorb sound waves, rendering the device useless. They probably did those laboratory tests in an empty space without considering how real people live.
I have always wondered about this. I don't want to get it because it is another thing to plug into my wall and another thing to suck energy. I am tired of my high energy bill as is. I have switched to using peppermint oil in a water bottle. I now spray it around my house to keep the bugs at bay.
I've watched Animal Planet's "Infested" and have also heard that these type of devices might irk an animal pest like a rodent in the beginning, but the rodent will adapt to the new noise and just keep carrying on. That is, it's not enough to actually drive the rodent away and out from your house. Pests are a complicated problem, and while hiring a professional might be necessary in the case of an infestation - studying how the pest is coming into your house and what's attracting it to your house is something a resident can do better. Not all exterminators will do a careful job in tracking a pest, and the person dealing with the pest (you), will usually have the motivation and the observations during the course of time to make some conclusions. It's rare when I recommend a tv show, but as mentioned before, if you have cable and have Animal Planet, the show "Infested" will give you some guidance on these matters.
I purchased a similar type of product with disappointing results. It did not help to reduce what pest where in the apartment nor did the product keep pest out of the apartment. Pest control in an apartment must be done by all of the tenants at the same time to reduce the amount of pest in the complex.
I really don't think most of that electric gadetry works to keep away any kind of pests. Except for things like bug zappers used outdoors, I think most of them are next to useless. I have not heard or seen any of these indoor electronic products that really work to keep away pests for any lenght of time.
