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Do they really work?

Unfortunately, no. None of these devices have been scientifically shown to do what they claim they do. I would love to recommend these as a safe alternative to indoor pesticides if they worked -- but, I can't. And, in 2001 the FTC warned manufactures and retailers that claims of efficacy must be backed by scientific data (see FTC Warns Manufacturers and Retailers of Ultrasonic Pest-control Devices).

The bottom line is that if manufacturers have scientific data that demonstrate that these devices work they should make it easily available, but of course they don't. Instead, testimonials are the only evidence of efficacy they offer. Testimonial data, such as "I tried it and it worked great!", is not reliable because it is highly subject to the placebo effect which, in the simplest terms, is what happens when people see what they want to see. To be credible the claims must be backed up with proper scientific data.

Manufacturers may well argue that there is no evidence that the devices don't work. This is true but only because neither I nor anyone else can prove a negative (see updates below). However it is the complete absence of published, scientific data that is most striking. I have not been able to find even one positive test result that has been published in a scientific journal.

I believe it is the responsibility of manufacturers, or distributors, to provide credible data that the the devices they sell actually work. Otherwise, their unsupported claims are no better than "snake oil" in my opinion. Check their literature and you'll not find credible, published evidence of scientific testing.

I'll make an offer. If published studies exist and these studies demonstrate a claimed effect on pest behavior, I'll gladly amend this page and include the results. All the manufacturers need do is send me a reference or the name of a credible researcher that I can contact.

Updates

(2/26/08): Someone sent me, anonymously, a link to a study from 2002 conducted at Kansas State University that tested a commercial ultrasonic device against reproduction in Indian meal moth. The study found that moths enclosed in a chamber and subjected to high (94 dB) ultrasonic sound produced fewer sperm (in males), fewer larvae, and the larvae weighed less. While these results are interesting I don't think they tell us much about how the devices perform under real world situations. High levels of ultrasonic sound may act as a sort of birth control for moths, at least under these artificial conditions. Whether or not this would result in useful pest management remains to be tested.

(3/20/08): In another article published in 2006 by the same researchers who conducted the 2002 at KSU they tested the ultrasonic devices for repellency against german cockroaches. In short, the devices failed to show any repellency and they concluded that the devices would not be useful for pest management of cockroaches.

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