Can Ultrasonic Pest Repellers Keep Your Home Free Of Spiders?

A single spider is often no cause for alarm. An infestation, however, can feel like a horror film. Pest solutions like insecticides and bug sprays are widely used but pose a health risk for you and your pets. Spider-specific sprays are also potent neurotoxins that kill upon contact but do nothing to prevent future spider visits. Ultrasonic pest repellers are considered an all-natural alternative to poisonous sprays. They're electronic devices meant to repel many forms of pests with full 360-degree coverage. While this sounds like innovative and cruelty-free pest control, many potential buyers wonder if ultrasonic pest repellers can keep their homes spider-free.

According to manufacturers, there are multiple perks to owning an ultrasonic repeller. They're more humane than most of the leading pest control options. They also cost less in the long run because you only need to purchase them once. Repeated treatments and sprays can add up. Ultrasonic repelling devices have no odor and are often inconspicuous. So, with all of their proposed benefits, ultrasonic pest repellers should be in every home. Unfortunately, consumers are less than impressed with many of the current models on the market. Though there may be evidence that ultrasonic waves are a humane way to get rid of mice, there's little support to suggest they effectively repel spiders.

An ultrasonic pest repeller, as the name suggests, produces ultrasonic waves. These waves are high-pitched sound waves at or above the highest frequency a human can hear. The repeller, when plugged into a wall outlet, emits consistent waves of high-pitched sound and vibrations along the wall. Manufacturers of these devices claim the waves repel cockroaches, mice, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and spiders. Though the covered range varies according to brand and model, Bell + Howell says one of its plug-ins will cover a radius of as much as 120 square feet.

The waves are meant to be a natural pest solution and an alternative to potentially toxic chemicals or traps. Because they emit a frequency higher than you or your pets can hear, they pose no risk of injury or irritation. Ultrasonic repellers are also a "set it and forget it" form of pest control. Once you plug them in, they will begin emitting. There's no repeat maintenance required.

Reviews of Bell + Howell's ultrasonic pest repeller are mixed. Some users swear by the plug-in electrical device, while others report no change in their pest population. Many dissatisfied customers specifically mention spiders, with one reviewer on Home Depot's website claiming they saw a spider "within inches" of the ultrasonic repeller. Similar models on Walmart.com also have mixed reviews. The efficacy is inconclusive when narrowing reviews to those that specifically mention spiders.

This suggests there is no consensus that ultrasonic waves will repel spiders. Many of the positive experiences relate to mice instead. There's a reason mice might respond to the ultrasonic waves: they can hear the high-pitched noise. Other pests, like spiders, cannot because they have no ears, though they're capable of feeling and being disrupted by vibrations. Yet, evidence suggests that's not a deterrent when choosing a place to weave a web. So, an ultrasonic pest repeller likely is not the best solution for an eight-legged pest problem. Luckily, other natural ways to keep your home spider-free, such as cinnamon, exist.