Ultrasonic mole repellers and reviews on their use

Next you will learn:

Are ultrasonic mole repellers really effective in practice, or is this another advertising ploy;
But do moles even hear ultrasound and is it so important in the fight against these animals;
Which mole repellers are mistakenly called ultrasonic;
How to choose a truly effective device;
What devices are commercially available and what should be guided by when choosing one or another option;
And is it also possible to make an ultrasonic repeller with your own hands and is it worth it to do at all ...

Ultrasonic repellers have become a fairly popular means of combating moles in the area (and rodents in the premises) today. And it’s a sin to hide - in many respects this popularity is due to advertising: manufacturers and sellers of such devices vying assure the incredible effectiveness of ultrasonic repellers, and that, they say, the use of the device does not require any efforts from the gardener: just stick it into the ground, turn it on and moles are already in panic to leave the site.

Meanwhile, the reviews of gardeners and the actual practice of using ultrasonic mole repellers are far from always so rosy:

some repellers really work well for many seasons in a row, and some have absolutely no effect;
sometimes the device first scares away moles, and then for some reason its effectiveness begins to decline;
sometimes the same model can give a good result, but in another area it may be useless.

Why is this happening? And how to choose a truly reliable and effective device from the commercially available ultrasonic mole repellers? Let's figure it out ...

Feedback:

“I put the repeller on the site in August, when it was already unbearable. The mole constantly dug a garden, uprooted several bushes of German tomatoes, beat potatoes, and then the carrots began to come up, I was afraid for it. In general, I spent money, bought an ultrasonic repeller on a column, a Tornado, stuck it right in the middle of the garden with a carrot. And lo and behold, it works! There were no new piles until the end of the fall; both potatoes and carrots were safely dug. Then they dug up the site already with snow, but it was a little, and immediately after that it covered. I left the repeller for the winter, changed the batteries in it.

And now the snow has fallen - fresh piles in the garden. So I think it makes sense to buy a new appliance in the spring, or not? Old in winter gave up. ”

Pavel, St. Petersburg

How do moles hear and pick up ultrasound?

It is well known that moles do not see well (many even believe that these animals are completely blind, but this is not so). At the same time, despite the absence of clearly expressed ears, the moles have a good ear for hearing - they have it, and they perfectly perceive sounds. For example, moles hear well how people walk on the surface of the earth, and also make sounds themselves when communicating in holes.

Moreover, the moles' hearing is thinner than that of humans, and they can hear air vibrations well in the sound range inaccessible to human perception: both ultrasounds (with a frequency above 20,000 Hz) and infrasounds (with a frequency below 15 Hz).

Moles also feel good soil vibration. There are cases when these animals felt earthquakes approaching long before tremors became noticeable to people.

Feedback

“Our moles left the site when my husband put a sprayer on the hose. I think that the moles did not like this, since the zhikalka constantly vibrates when it turns from the pressure of water. In another I do not even know how to explain. They dug all spring, ruined half of the seedlings, and in June, when it was hot and we started to water, everything stopped.Heaps of them were leveled, but new ones have not yet appeared. ”

Alena, Kaluga

Thus, using the sounds of moles, you can really scare them away: if the sound is strong enough to create discomfort for the animal, then most likely the mole will try to leave the site, going away from the source of discomfort. And it is not so important whether it will be a normal sound or ultrasound. The only difference is that a person will also hear ordinary sound, while ultrasound will practically not disturb a person’s rest in his beloved cottage, and, in extreme cases, will be perceived only as a faint squeak.

Now let's see if ultrasonic repellers, which can be bought in stores or online, can help achieve the desired result.

Are ultrasonic repellers effective against moles?

Powerful (and, as a result, quite expensive) ultrasonic repellers powered by a socket work well from moles. The radiation pattern of the emitters is close to circular, and automation periodically changes frequencies, reducing the effect of animals getting used to the sound.

However, usually such devices are not used to fight moles, but primarily to scare away rats, mice and other rodents from home, from a warehouse or from a garden plot - this is how these repellers are positioned.

It is believed that the emitter must certainly be buried in the ground in order to effectively influence moles. However, even ultrasound simply emitted into open space penetrates to a certain depth and into the soil - wormholes that extend to the surface of the earth play the role of a kind of sound guide. Therefore, an ultrasonic repeller of sufficient power will create discomfort for moles.

Such scarers include, for example, Chiston-2 and Chiston-4 (Biostrazh). They are used mainly in food industry enterprises to protect warehouses and workshops from rodents.

Ultrasonic mole repellers in the form of columns are more common and actively advertised. The relatively low power of these devices is compensated by the fact that they are buried directly in the ground, as a result of which the "unproductive" losses of ultrasound are reduced.

Some of these repellers really help to fight moles, while others turn out to be completely useless, and, as practice shows, the same models can be effective in some cases, and in others they have no effect.

In addition, you need to keep in mind:

some of the cheapest Chinese models have such low power that they are not able to scare away even mosquitoes, not to mention moles;
some "ultrasonic" repellers just squeak to themselves quietly in the frequency range well below 20,000 Hz - there is no question of any ultrasound;
individual models become unusable after the first rain;
some solar-powered models only create the appearance of an autonomous effective device - the charge lasts only an hour and a half barely noticeable work (while there are really good solar-powered models that can work reliably all night).

It is also useful to read: How to reliably get rid of moles in a summer cottage or garden

Feedback

“Tell me where in St. Petersburg you can buy a normal ultrasonic mole repeller. I bought two different columns, one supposedly German, stuck right into the heaps of land, and no use. One such mole column even tumbled down, apparently digging right under it. Either the mole is so tough, or even the trash I bought. It doesn’t even matter what price, the main thing is to work ... "

Eugene, Gatchina

It is also important to understand that the effectiveness of the repeller is not always determined only by the characteristics of the device itself.For example, even high-quality and expensive means that emit ultrasound, audible sounds, and also create mechanical vibration, in some cases do not give a long-term result: there is an opinion that animals simply get used to noise.

For example, it is known that sometimes pests leave the site if a lawn mower or walk-behind tractor is regularly working on it. And in other cases, the mole section may come close to a busy road, and the animal will be fully adapted to constant noise and rumble, so that the "children's" squeak of the repeller will not make any impression on him.

We draw intermediate conclusions:

today you can buy really high-quality ultrasonic repellers that will protect the site from moles from season to season;
at the same time, the market is full of frank Chinese junk, the use of which initially dooms the summer resident to failure in his fight against moles;
and finally, even the most advanced electronic mole repellers sometimes fail. And the point here is often not in the device, but in moles on a specific plot of land. Practice is the criterion of truth, so if there is an opportunity, it is always better to buy at least one device and try it out in practice than to guess.

Scarers and terminology errors

Many gardeners and even sellers in stores do not distinguish between different types of electric mole repellers, and call ultrasonic all devices that squeak or even vibrate.

Meanwhile, as noted above, ultrasound is only sound in the frequency range above 20,000 Hz, and most people simply will not hear it. Therefore, it is not correct to call an ultrasonic repeller a device that monotonously irritates the gardener with a loud squeak, or constantly rattles, vibrates or rings.

On a note

Some mole repellers can work in different modes, periodically changing them: in ultrasound mode, in audible sound mode and in vibration mode.

However, we will not delve into the intricacies of the physics of sound, and therefore we will further consider not only the ultrasonic devices themselves, but also those that are called ultrasonic repellers by mistake.

Feedback

“... It was funny today when a young guy in a store sold me an ultrasonic repeller Grad A500. Specially to demonstrate the full power of ultrasound, he turned it on and said more - here, they say, hear how powerful ultrasound is. I say - I hear, squeaks, but where is the ultrasound? The instructions say that the repeller emits simple squeaks, and ultrasound, but the sellers, apparently, have no time to read the instructions, and school physics lessons somehow passed by them. So they give now listen to customers ultrasound. Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll see how all this will scare moles in the country. ”

Alexander A., Pskov

Another common mistake is attempts to search for ultrasonic traps (mole traps). The fact is that with ultrasound moles, in principle, can neither be attracted nor caught. So the "ultrasonic trap for moles" on sale you will not find. Well, except in some fantastic store that also sells ultrasonic fishing rods for fishing, or ultrasonic traps for a bear ...

Repeller Biostrazh: can it be used against moles?

Generally speaking, the Chiston-4 repeller (Biostrazh) is positioned as an ultrasonic rodent repeller, and is designed for indoor use. The area declared by the manufacturer on which rodents are effectively scared off is 850 square meters. The manufacturer also claims a circular radiation pattern close to 360 ° (according to the results of experiments, it was approximately 300 °, which, however, is also very good).

What about moles - will the Bioguard scare them away? Here it is necessary to take into account the significant inconvenience consisting in the need to connect the device to a power outlet (it consumes 25 watts), and you also need to protect it from rain.When working under a canopy to repel moles, it is entirely possible to count, but only if the land is small.

Total:

Biostrage is quite expensive (its price is about 3500 rubles);
The device requires connecting to a power outlet, which is inconvenient when fighting moles in the area.

Thus, the ultrasonic rodent repeller Biostrazh will not be the best choice if you are going to push moles off the site.

The same applies to Chiston-2 and Chiston-2 Pro ultrasonic partitions.

Feedback

“Chiston helped us twice. The first time the mice were taken out of the attic, they climbed into the bedroom when they fled from it. The cat caught them here. And then they turned it on in the garden when the mole started up. There is a problem - he needs a socket. I had to pull three extension cords. But reached out, set. First, the mole went to the distant fence, and then completely got out of the garden ... "

Tatyana, from correspondence on the forum

The devices of the Chiston series are, so to speak, truly ultrasonic, that is, they emit precisely ultrasonic vibrations. Such devices also include:

Ultrasonic repeller of rats, mice, moles, birds and other animals Grad A500;
Ultrasonic Tornado Repeller.

And some others.

However, it often does not make sense to chase a powerful ultrasonic device, which is inconvenient for use on an open area of land, because specialized mole repellents are on sale, sometimes incorrectly also called ultrasonic, but they have nothing to do with ultrasound. Let's talk about them ...

Sound and vibrating mole repellers

These devices work on the principle of scaring away moles with periodically emitted sounds and vibration. When a device suddenly stuck in the ground appears in the garden, which periodically squeaks, buzzes and vibrates, moles often really sharply reduce their activity on the site, and sometimes even leave it for the whole season.

It is also useful to read: Mole repellers Ecosniper and reviews on their use

At the same time, those repellers that are more effective will be:

Do not squeak monotonously, but make sounds periodically;
Sounds of different frequencies alternate in a random mode, so that the mole could not get used to them and perceive it as an unfamiliar dangerous noise;
Combine sound exposure with mechanical vibration transmitted to the ground.

There are several devices that meet these requirements on sale - for example, the Ecosniper LS-997M (Molechaser LS 997 Motor), Molechaser LS 997 Motor Random, Weitech 0675, Grom-Pro LED, Skat 49, etc.

On a note

It is interesting that the same Skat 49 is positioned not only as a repeller of moles and mice, but also as a means of snakes.

Repellers that generate only intermittent sounds or vibrations are less effective. For example, devices from the Anticrot series in the form of small columns operating from finger batteries or from a solar battery.

Important advantages of sound and vibrating repellers:

These are highly specialized devices designed to scare away moles;
As a rule, the price of such devices is significantly lower than that of powerful ultrasonic rodent repellers;
Specialized mole repellers are autonomous - they work either from batteries or from sunlight;
And, finally, they do not spoil the appearance of the site, which can not be said, for example, about various home-made mole repellers made by themselves from beer cans or plastic bottles.

However, do not forget that the effectiveness of even the best repellers is not absolute. Often they really help, and moles leave the site literally within a day after installing the device. But there are cases when animals do not pay attention to such devices at all and can safely continue their activities right under the established “column”.We repeat: in many respects this depends not only on the repeller, but also on how exactly one or another mole will respond to extraneous noise (in any mammal population there are representatives shy and not very shy).

Nevertheless, if you follow a few simple recommendations, you can increase the likelihood that even a relatively inexpensive repeller will work against moles:

It is advisable to buy the same device that your neighbors in the summer cottage used and that helped them (it is possible that moles from the neighboring section moved to yours);
Funds produced in European countries and in Russia are preferable to Chinese products;
When buying, it is useful to evaluate the quality of the device’s assembly - tightness (the device will have to get wet repeatedly in the rain), the absence of microcracks, the smoothness of the thread in the presence of a screw cap;
It is highly desirable that the device has various operating modes, including the random mode (generating sounds of a random frequency and duration);
It is useful to periodically change the location of the device on the site.

And, of course, you need to use each mole repeller in accordance with the instructions (so that it does not happen that the column instead of being buried in the ground will be suspended from a tree branch on a rope).

On a note

Remember also that many mole repellers are not repairable. This is especially true for Chinese devices. Therefore, they must be handled with sufficient care and should not be hammered into the ground with a metal hammer.

Eco-sniper LS-997 MR (Motor Random) - an example of a non-ultrasonic mole repeller

Mole repeller Ecosniper LS-997 MR is characterized by the fact that it generates sound pulses in a wide frequency range, with different durations and after different time intervals. Duration of sound impulses: from 1.5 to 3.5 seconds, frequency - from 15 to 75 seconds.

In addition, the device contains a small motor with a pendulum load, periodically producing mechanical vibration, which is transmitted through the walls of the repeller to the soil.

The radius of the device declared by the manufacturer is 45 meters (but here it should be taken into account immediately that if there are foundations and other underground structures, the effective radius of action will be noticeably lower).

Can I make a similar device with my own hands?

When looking at the prices of high-quality mole repellers (we are not talking about Chinese inefficient consumer goods), many gardeners are thinking about how to make such a repeller with their own hands and thereby save money.

However, in practice, without special knowledge, this approach will be ineffective, even if there is an electrical circuit of the device. In modern mole repellers, there are:

A special chip responsible for changing the frequencies of the generated sound;
Additional elements that enhance the sound;
In ultrasonic systems, piezoelectric actuators adapted for such devices are used;
Also in the device may be an electric motor (to create vibration) and an electrical control system for its operation.

It is difficult to buy, assemble and properly assemble the corresponding electronic components manually, and their cost and the time spent on this will be incomparably greater than the cost of the devices available on the market.

However, some craftsmen got rid of moles with the help of a simpler home-made device: the usual continuously peeping Chinese electronic alarm was placed in a metal pipe. The pipe was buried in the ground and coped quite well with the task of scaring off moles;

Feedback

“I tried to buy a mole repeller in Moscow, I was horrified by the prices. 1500 rubles to drive the mole, well, no, thanks. This is generally beyond. There's a bit of business there, a speaker, a relyushka and a small circuit. I found such a scheme on the Internet, I screwed the speaker more, powered it from the battery. Delivered from the winter, now it's April, there are no moles yet.I think that will work. ”

Pavel, Podolsk

Well, in conclusion, to summarize:

There is no sense in chasing the ultrasonic mole repellers - they are more suitable for fighting rats and mice indoors;
Autonomous devices that periodically generate sounds of varying frequency and mechanical vibration are more convenient to use and in many cases quite effective (although not always);
If some device helped your neighbor behind the fence, then try using the same one.

If you have personal experience of getting rid of moles using ultrasonic or other repellents - be sure to leave your review at the bottom of this page (in the comments box) - maybe this will help someone decide on the choice of device.