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Question about the Animal Away Repeller P7810 Product Code:ES-P3-P7810

Q:"Does this work for mice and rats? We need something like this where I work. Thank you!"-Michelle.

Answer: The Animal Away is designed mainly for outdoor use against larger animals like cats, dogs and raccoons. The best choice for attics and crawl spaces is the Evictor Strobe Light Small Animal Repeller. This works for roof rats, squirrels, bats, feral cats and raccoons. Safe Home sells several different devices to catch and repel rats and mice in addition to that product. One problem is that these pest animals have sharp teeth and can chew through wood, mesh screening, etc. to get inside where they then can raise their young. And these animals can multiply very rapidly.

Among the products we sell are ultrasonic repellers that directly plug into the wall, ultrasonic repellers that have a line cord for better placement on the floor, rat and mice zapper traps and a strobe light repeller for attics and crawl spaces.

If the rats get into your attic or crawl space, not only will they leave droppings, bring in fleas, chew on wires, etc, but also they will attract squirrels and raccoons who will also set up housekeeping. A rat can enter through a hole the size of a quarter. The rats tunnel through your insulation, reducing its effectiveness and ultimately your attic will take on an odor that attracts other rats and repels humans. Rats sharpen their teeth on rafters and can get down into your walls. You cannot imagine the odor of a dead rat, a rat who died in your wall.

The direct plug in pest repeller units range from small ones with or without nightlights to larger more powerful ones with one or two speakers. For example, the Lentek Pest Contro 600 have night lights. For these to be effective, plug into unobstructed, un-switched wall outlets in rooms to be covered by ultrasonic sound power.

The corded units such as the Transonic Pro are easier to place and also can be set to repel other animals. These units may be both silent and noise generating. To be most effective, you need to get "bounce" off hard surfaces and also "shoot" the ultrasound down floor edges across doorways, registers and other possible openings for the rodents to enter the rooms.

The electric traps are powered by batteries. There are two models, one for rats and one for mice.

The Evictor strobe light comes in two models, one for homes or smaller buildings and the professional Evictor for larger areas. The Evictor works great to repel black rats

Getting rid of mice and rats once they are nested is difficult and requires a multi-faceted approach. Do remember that all foodstuffs need to be in secure containers both for storage and for trash. All openings to the outside should be sealed after you've used ultrasonic or strobe light applications for several weeks. Look for openings in attics and basements, too.

Professional exterminators may be necessary. Do remember that using poisons means that animals may die in wall spaces, ceilings, etc and the stench can be awful. Glue traps are also effective although some find them distasteful and dealing with live rodents is not pleasant.

Good luck. Let us know if we can help your employer to get these nuisance rodents out of your building. Remember that your home is vulnerable, too.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Q: "What is the total square footage that one Victor Sonic PestChaser PRO Rodent Repeller M792 covers?"

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to your question. Ultrasonic frequencies are sound above the normal range of human hearing and act more like light than say sound from a radio or television. See my answer below after you read why the answer is not absolute. One reason for the M792's superiority is that it has two speakers so it fits in corners and sends sound down two walls at once. It is recommended for

Characteristics of Ultrasonic Sound:

• Is Highly directional like FM radio waves.
  
• Reflects from hard surfaces like bare walls, doors, etc. like light from a mirror.
• Is absorbed and dampened by soft surfaces such as carpeting, drapes, furniture and cardboard boxes.
• Can be effected by the humidity of the air.
• Creates a "shadow" of silence behind an object it hits, a sheltered area for pests. Place traps or poison bait in that "shadow" or aim additional PestChasers be aimed at the back of the object and eliminate the "shadow."

For use in large sized rooms, kitchens, garages, attics and basements

• 6' cord enables ideal placement

• Emits high frequency sound waves that effectively repel rodents

• Sound is completely inaudible to people and non-rodent pets.

• Varying ultrasonic sound waves prevents rodents from getting used to the Victor® Sonic PestChaser®.

• Since the sound is inaudible, a red LED light shows unit is working properly.

• Reduction in rodent activity should occur within 6-10 days

• Multiple units required for multiple rooms Note: Best results are with other rodent control methods: Sanitation: Use in a clean area with no spilled foodstuffs or accumulated trash. Exclusion: Reduce access points for rodents. Use hardware cloth to seal pipes, vent screens, A/C ducts and holes in siding. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a pencil. Reduce Populations: For heavy infestations, you may first have to reduce populations of rodents to smaller levels by using baits and traps. Newer electric traps kill humanely, run on battery power, and are easily emptied. Please contact us if you have additional questions. Sincerely, Barbara

Q: "Now in my 3rd summer of using a black polycarbonate battery powered P3 International molechaser stake in my garden. I have been very pleased with the results although now it seems the gophers may be getting used to it and no longer are repelled. I am thinking of buying a second unit. Do you have other suggestions?" Ken

Answer: Multiple units are always good. You may want to get the Supersonic Molechaser to add to the Vibrasonic molechaser as it makes a noise rather than vibrating. It also helps to move the stakes around a bit. Hope this helps.

Comment from Customer: "Thank you for your quick and helpful reply. Based upon the information you sent, I have ordered a "supersonic" from your company. Thanks again, Ken."

Comment from Barbara: We sell several mole chaser products. These are also helpful in getting rid of gophers and voles. Gophers are more difficult to chase away as, once established, they have an elaborate network of tunnels under the ground while moles stay near the top where they can eat grubs.

Some suggestions to get rid of moles:

• Install molechaser stakes. Multiple units work best especially if your soil is mostly clay and rocks or mostly sand. Sound is contained in a smaller area and more intense in heavy soil and is dispersed farther and is less intense in sandy ones. We sell green PVC plastic ones, vibrasonic molechasers, solar mole chaser stakes and supersonic molechasers.
• Spray grass with Scoot Mole.
• Use grub control granules in mid summer.
• July 17, 2009 Note: MoleScram is a granular product we've sold now for almost 2 years with great reports from our customers. This application of mole chaser lasts about 3 months. This is fast to apply: use a lawn fertilizer spreader, rather than dragging hundreds of feet of hose behind you as with Scoot Mole liquid. Treat one half of your yard on Day 1 and half on Day 2. Water in well or apply before a storm. You'll move the moles back out of your yard!
• A new and popular addition to the mole stake line are the Smart Solar Mole Chasers. Customers in sunny regions love these vibrating mole chaser stakes for two reasons. First, installation is easier than with the P3 International solar mole stake. which has to be buried after digging a hole. First, make sure the ground is soft through watering. Next, take the bottom half of the stake and pound it into the ground using a board and mallet (hitting the board). Connect the electric connections to the solar panel, put on the top and the unit begins to charge and operate.Smart Solar also advertises mouse control in your yard as a bonus.
• The Transonic Electronic Mole & Gopher Chaser Solar Stake is a new unit by Bird X that is solar powered, vibrates and buzzes every 20 seconds plus flashes a downward light every five seconds. Coverage is up to 1/6 of an acre.

Good luck with your gardens and grass.

Sincerely, Barbara

Question about the Product Transonic PRO Pest Repeller (DUAL SPEAKER)

Q: "I have a couple of computers and a cordless phone. Do these ultrasonic repellers have any effect on my electronic devices? Adverse effect? Thanks for your help." Kristina

Answer: What is the hz of the phone? I have a unit on the floor that is on continuously. In this room are two computers plus servers and there is no interference at all.. The frequency range of this unit is 3,000 - 45,000 Hz. I don't know of any phones that are over 900hz but then I am not current with all the phone techology.

Response from Customer: "My phone is a 2.4 GHZ giga range. I don't know if that's the right thing you wanted. How does your unit work for you by the way? I just found a mouse in our house and don't want them. Is it good for that?"

Answer: My son the electrical engineer says that 2.4 gHZ and 3 KHz are far enough away in frequency that there should be no interference. Yes, these work for mice on the rodent setting. There is some "chatter" on the higher settings that can be annoying. But then mice are more annoying than that.

Remember to discourage mice, keep all foodstuffs like dog kibble, etc. in closed mouse-proof containers, seal around pipes and exhausts, install new door seals, etc. A cat works, too!

And if yours is an older home, no matter what you do, you may have mouse visitors in the winter. The Victor Woodstream Electronic Mouse Traps kill the mice quickly and humanely. With the old fashioned snap ones and glue traps, you may be dealing with live mice.

Thanks for your questions.

Sincerely, Barbara