I know this is a strange thing to blog about or even review, but what the hell – here goes. I’m bored. If the title of this post doesn’t interest you, you’ll probably be bored very quickly too. Otherwise if you’ve got one of these, or thinking about getting one, please feel free to read on.
I live in a barn conversion. It’s a long story that I’ll not bore you with, but basically the conversion wasn’t designed or built particularly well. There’s a whole host of problems with it. One of the biggest oversights was not including easy access to the roof space. There’s also quite a few tiny gaps to the outside world where the roof meets the outside walls etc.
Over the years mice have liked living in my nice warm loft. I don’t particularly mind them being there, which is fortunate as I have no access to them to set traps and remove them. Equally, they can’t get into the main house (very easily) to set traps to remove me. If I was being a bit of a twat, I’d say that we have a reasonably harmonious symbiotic relationship. Otherwise, if I didn’t want to sound like a total knob, I’d say that I can live fairly happily alongside my furry friends.
If you know me, you’ll probably know that I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to spiders. I hate them. Really hate them. So perhaps this isn’t the best place for me to live. I get some HUGE ones here – at least big enough to put a saddle on. They find their way in via the gaps that I mentioned earlier, eat a load of pies, grow some fur and promptly terrorise me when I least expect it. I had one crawl over my head the other week whilst I was in bed. I wasn’t impressed and frankly nearly shat myself.
Depending on quite how well you know me, you may also know that I sometimes have real problems getting to sleep. So lately I’ve been lying awake at night thinking that a big horse sized spider is going to attach itself onto my face ‘Alien’ stylee, accompanied by a background noise of scampering mice and loud chewing noises. It’s all frankly not been helping me doze off.
Anyway, when I was channel hopping the other day I flicked past a tv shopping channel. They were selling electronic “Pest Repellers”. Perhaps I’ve been living in the dark ages, but I’ve never heard of them before and to be honest, they sound like a total scam. But I quite liked the idea of ridding myself of two headaches. So off I toddled to ebay and bought two “Vermatik 4 in 1 Pest Repellers” (much cheaper than the ones on telly!). Anyway a week ago, they arrived.
The ones I got are supposed to:
- Have some kind of ultrasonic noise that insects/rodents don’t like.
- Put some weird electromagnetic wave through the mains wiring loop in the house.
- Have some ionic thing which purifies the air.
- Have a sexy nightlight.
The plan was, buy the things on ebay, then flog them on ebay again if they don’t work. Couldn’t lose. It was a plan with no drawbacks. So what’s happened after a week of it being plugged in?
Well the blue night light is frankly pathetic. It lights up about a square centimetre of space. The thing also clicks quite loudly sometimes and I swear I can hear a high pitch noise occasionally (hopefully it’s not tinnitus!).
Unless I’d read the leaflet about the air purifier part I’d never have known to be honest – that’s frankly a waste of time – there ain’t nothing that can cleanse the air of the scent of my socks.
I know, what about the pest repeller part? Well, the first couple of nights, there actually seemed to be a lot more, quite loud mice scampering. Since then it does seem to have lessened and I’ve not heard any mice at all for a good 48 hours. There was however an enormous, Val Kilmer sized spider in my bath the other morning. I honestly thought he was going to ask me to loofah his back whilst it played with my rubber duck and toy boat. But other than that and the odd money spider, I’ve not seen any spiders either in the last week.
Anyway, I know it’s early days and I’m still VERY skeptical about this whole electronic pest repeller thing, but the early signs for me are quite promising. Perhaps the mice have just gone on their summer hols for a week or two and perhaps the spiders are currently formulating some kind of ingenious plan to rubber duck me to death.
The manual does say wait 2-4 weeks for results (which is probably quite conveniently so that your statutory rights have well and truly lapsed by then!), so I’ll leave them running a while longer.
But are my hopes of a spider and mouse free night up unnecessarily? Has anyone else had any luck with these things or is the above pure coincidence and it’s really just an empty little box with lil’ flashy lights on?
Oh, and you can betcha ass that two seconds after I post this they’ll be spiders and mice galore in my flat.
[edit] Just remembered… this particular device stupidly hangs down quite a long way below the plug socket (see pic), so if you’ve got a lot of very low plug holes like me, you might be limited where you can actually plug this bad boy in! [/edit]
[edit 2] Yup, as predicted, I’ve just found a Laurence Fishburne sized spider in the hall! [/edit 2]
Love the message Lucy, unfortunately I have only tried the vermatik plug in and have some issues with it as I went to bed last night and followed my ritual (OCD) of pulling the quilt off to check for spiders and there was a dead one that must have climbed in with me the night before and died at the fate of my smelly feet. I guess I can kill them better in my sleep than I can when awake funny thing is though that I was just as scared of it dead as I would have been if it were alive lol. Think my repeller is wearing off as have had loads recently could just be the weather but I am gonna blame the repeller for now. Hope everyone else’s spiders are behaving themselves.
Cheers for your response guys, think I might give it a miss for now as it doesnt seem like they really do work and I dont want to take the chance of seeing more in the first week or two because I just dont know how I could cope with that!
Kiama i have exactly the same ritual as you every night with the duvet, I also shake every towel and item of clothing i’m completely obsessed at the moment as it is spider season. I’ve even started thinking about how i would get out the bedroom window in case one was sat on or by the door and had trapped me in the room! I’m not sure the Raid insectiside that i carry round the house and spray as I walk is doing my respiritory system much good either! I’m beginning to think my only option is therapy although i did think that if i lived in a tent they couldn’t get in as it would be completely sealed and you could spray Raid every morning to kill anything that had managed to get in!! Well it’s worth considering anyway!
Hi Lucy,
I got one of those plug-ins that works through the wiring amd I still have LOADS of BIG spiders. I have it in my lounge and they are all over! I did buy a catcher that is like a wire hand that goes over them. It has a long handle so can be kept at a distance! If you do go for some therapy let me know how you get on as I have also thought this would be my only option too!!
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
I’ve seen those catcher things before unfortunately once there has been a sighting I just run out of the house and can’t deal with it so that wont work for me! Other people have suggested therapy to me as they can see that the fear has got out of hand and is becoming an obession but I can’t see myself doing it at the moment as I guess it would cost quite a bit and I’m guessing at some point there will be hand to spider contact which just doesn’t sound appealing! A couple of things have been mentioned to me that you might consider trying (not that I have plucked up the courage for either!) The first one i read yesterday (maybe on here) that sounded quite good was to play with plastic spiders, I guess it gets you used to them a bit and may take away that initial terror that takes over when one apears in a stealth like manner from under the sofa! The next one was suggested by my mum after witnessing my complete psychological meltdown after one appeared under her table! She said I should keep one in a jar to desensitize myself, I can see where she is coming from and it seems like a reasonable idea but I think the day I have one in my house as a ‘pet’ is the day Satan will be ice skating to work!
Hi Lucy,
Mmmm, Im not really sure about those ideas either! The spider catcher came with a plastic spider, to practice on, and I couldn’t even stand to look at it let alone touch it! As to having one in a jar….eerrrr!!!
I also thought about the fact that therapy would lead to touching BIG ones but thought it would be a very slow process and worth it in the end! I also read somewhere that they hate lemon and conkers. If they(conkers) are placed in each corner of a room they are supposed to keep them out of the room(or in!!!) As to the lemon, spiders smell through their feet so dont like any surface with it on! The house would smell nice! God talking about them while its getting dark is NOT GOOD!!!
Amanda
I was given a spider catcher for my birthday this year (my parents idea of a joke!) I hadn’t spotted the plastic spider in the packaging so when it fell on my lap I screamed and leapt out of my chair! Needless to say all my family thought it was hilarious!
Fingers crossed the repellers are keeping the real things at bay!!!
Really don’t blame you for not wanting to try those ideas Amanda! I am sat surrounded by conkers at my desk now, think everyone else thinks i’m crazy but never mind! My sister swears by the lemon thing she lived in a student house that was full of spiders but sprayed her doorframe with lemon pledge and she didn’t ever have one in there. I have been spraying everything with lemon bleach the last couple of days, not sure how effective that is and I cant spray it on everything obviously but thought it would do until my lemon essential oil makes its way through the postal strike then i’m going to make my own spray stuff that will be going on everything and anything, I’ll probably end up bathing in it mmyself!!
Ooo, I will be interested to know how you get on with that!
Amanda
The house has been spider proofed and so far so good! I have only ever seen 2 spiders in my house in just over a year though but I feel a lot more confident now about being in there. I even sprayed my bed! Smells good too!
The opening post is worth reading just for the laugh even if you don’t have pest problems!
Anyhoo I have, that’s how I got to this site.
I’ve lived in this house for 21 years and it was just last year when the British Gas engineer told me I had mice as there were droppings under the boiler in the kitchen cupboard.
I bought a humane mouse trap as one little blighter gnawed its way through a packet of anti-bac wipes ! The grapefruit smell must have attracted it. Since then I’ve trapped 4 mice and let them go in the woods.
I’ve phoned Council pest control and they’re coming tomorrow. if that doesn’t work will buy a Vermatik 5 in 1 and let you all know how it goes.
Cheers for this site – love it !
Just ordered a 7 in 1 here’s hoping !
What happens where the rat is in a locked room and it has nowhere to run?
Just about to order a 4-1 as a mouse decided he didn’t like us decorating the house and spoiling it’s sleep so no wonders around when we want to go to sleep. Will update on it’s effectiveness.
Hi,
I have 2 4 in 1 repellers and at first I was very sceptical about them. When I first plugged them in I can honestly say there were definately more spiders around after the first few days. Apparently this is normal as the insects are being pushed away from their home (MY HOME) and trying to get out.
The positive thing is that since last September I thing we’ve only had one spider in the house (either that or we’ve missed them!) which I guess Im putting down to the repeller. Funny thing is the the one upstairs stopped working and I threw it away 3 days ago….and lone behold I have seen 2 spiders in the house! I am now scowering the net for a new one but cant find the original one I bought a year ago…..there are loads of different types now!!!! ARHHHH!!!
The repellers to however have to be quite stratigcally (dont know how to spell that one) around the house: only one per floor, must be central in the house, and must be plugged away from other electrical items.
I dont know about the conkers thing but the lemon idea sounds promising!!
OH and befor I forget, one of them did use to make a repetitive noise which I could hear, I swapped it for the one downstairs as that one was nice and quiet.
Take care all, keep the iteas coming!!!!!!!!
hi there roger and all…. u can still buy the vermatik on ebay.co.uk and i think these things are great as what they actualy do is stop the vermin or insects multiplying as it affects there nerves so they cannot eat or have sex…… and a lot of people comment on spiders but u must remember 1 thing that if a spider has accendently come into your home it has to get out again so if u keep the windows doors closed theres no way of this happening… i know these work and have had them for sometime as at my other house i had a problem with ants and silverfish and the trail of ants would appear every spring/summer without fail but after a couple of weeks with installing these u never seen on… as they obviously had a way of getting in and out… my dad also had a problem on his boat with ants and again when one of these was installed nop problem atall… also i had a squirrel in my loft it was only there for a few days and again decided to uphome and go… so i would reccamend these highly but please bare in mind that if the insect/animal can get out then thats fine im sure they will but for things like spiders they are trapped inside unless u leave the windows and doors open constantly….
Got 2 of these earlier this year (due to a mouse trying to move in) and so far so good. Normally have a few spiders wandering around but nothings as yet. Don’t no if they are hibernation or the colds keeping them at bay but will find out over next few weeks as spring kicks in :)
Got 1 on upstairs landing and works as a night light (bonus) for the nighttime trips to the lo ;)
Hello Lucy,
I was wondering if the repeller worked in the end for you. I have exactly the same problem (I thought it was very relieving to read your messages since I
Hi!
I got the same problem as you do “I hate spiders” and I get really terrified when I see them(bees as well)!!
And I bought one 4 in 1 pest repeller nearly a month ago and it seems it doesn´t work! I see spiders and other kind of insects(mosquitos,other small bugs, all kind of flying insects) and it seems the plug isn´t doing anything to repell these insects.
When I open the main door or a window, insects come inside the house!
It says that it needs between 2-4 weeks to work but I don´t think this is really going to work at all!
However there´s a 12 months limited warranty, you just need to call their helpline, maybe there´s a manufacture damage and they can replace the product.
I will try that if no other option, if I don´t see any positive changes.
I was just looking for this company(vermatik) website but it seems it´s under construction!
I was given one of these gizmos by a friend the Christmas before last – possibly because she was tired of slipping up on the conkers I had positioned in every corner and on every window sill……!
Now I maintain I can smell a spider in the house and remember every single incidence of finding one…and moreover where it was when I first spotted it.
As a result my own pre-sleep check list involves quickly checking out every past spider location.
Now, does it work? Well, who knows for sure but I for one believe it does. I have had only a handful of intrusions in the interim…the ghostly one in the bathroom (‘smelt out’ the other day)…that big one behind the sideboard a month or so back….the small flat one above the door just after Christmas…….
Been a few months now since installing these and no mice even though we’ve had building work done at the back giving them easy access in but they’ve decided to stay away.. and the Big bonus only 1 spider that ventured in when the building works were being done. Hope this continues and I haven’t just jinxed it :)
Oh no ….. mouse appeared yesterday :( going to move the vermatiks around and all down stairs to see if they keep him out or not. Spiders still not around :)
so can you have this on either setting for it to work for rats and spiders??
My mum told me about this gadget (she has the 6 in 1 which has a nightlight feature – oh my, how useful… not). I’m a scientist so I was like…. yeah right, what a load of codswallop, as if some noise s going to stop spiders wandering into your cosy, central heating kitted oot tae the hilt abode on a cold, damp October evening.
Well, sceptical as I may be, my mother swears by this thing and has definitely seen a decrease in the number of spiders wandering in of an evening.
The next time they were on offer she got a few more, to put upstairs etc and one for me for my flat. I have to say, I rarely see a spider in the house, despite having a garden full of webs….
However, I told my new flatmate about my little gadget and lo and behold, she stated complaining that she could hear a high pitched noise that was stopping her sleeping at night, so I took it out. Then put it back in about 3 months later…. she didn’t notice!!!
Anyways….. I took it out again a few weeks ago when I went off on holiday and I’ve come back to find we may have a mouse problem!!!! There’s only been a couple of sightings but I’ve heard the little beast scurrying around at night so the gadget is back in….. I’ll let you all know if the mouse decides to move somewhere quieter…. watch this space
we currently have a problem with mice, we have tried everything, we currently have in the house 3 x poison traps, 6 x humane live catch traps, and approx 16 glue traps. none have worked and i am at the end of my tether. Someone mentioned these electronic repellers and i just want some feedback about how good/bad they are before going to even more expense.
Hi Gill,
I have a 6-in-1 repeller and I am now living in a small flat with the repeller plugged in the centre of the flat for maximum effect. However I noticed a mouse in February and it had just come from right next to the repeller, I soon discovered that I had a mouse problem. I managed to contain it to my kitchen using various door blockage devices but the repeller was no use. I had glue traps (rubbish), poison bait (I think they liked it as each time the tray would empty they would push to the middle of my kitchen as if to say that they wanted a top up) and I used several types of trap – humane, standard wooden ones and high tech plastic flip ones that would lure the mouse in before catching them off guard. Such a waste of time I did however find one technique that worked.
Standard wooden flip traps with chocolate on them, the mice were too quick for the traps and would STEAL the chocolate and run off, until I decided to superglue the chocolate to the trap, caught several mice this way it was the most effective home remedy.
The problem was in the whole block of 5 flats and no one else was trying to get rid of them as far as I can tell so eventually the professionals were called in and I haven’t seen a mouse since then. I think the guys charged £45 per flat to put 2-3 traps in each flat and they also put some in the loft. If its a serious problem I suggest fork out the money for the professionals for the peace of mind.
Kiama
Well, I just stumbled on this site surfing for a solution to our trash can masked critter attacks!
These ads and “so-called” reviews are all pretty useless!
It seems the makers and hawkers of these wonder weapons know how to attempt to bamboozle the unwary with their self promoting reviews and ads! Phew!
I personally think the whole thing is a pseudo-science scam!\
We had a little Pom who was a real barking “japer”when the door bell rang! Nothing wrong with his ears, real electronic noises drove him crazy, but 2 purchases of so-called sonic bark stoppers didn’t phase him one iota.
So, all I can say experience wise is definitely BUYER BEWARE- It’s all JUNK and people, if really honest would admit the King is naked and these “REPELLERS” are pure ,crappy junk!
a spider is not an insect, but if you take its food source away they wiil die out eventually.
I have pest control plugs made by 3 different companies, none of them state in instructions the fact that high frequency setting repells insects & low frequency is for long tails & some insects. I have’t seen pests for a few years since we did some serious gap stopping (gaps in floorboards filled wiv caulk, expanding foam where pipes enter rooms etc) had a ‘visitor’ again, this time under the now sealed floor until i was told plugs were set to repell insects only! Days after plugs were set to low frequency, no sound of long tails anymore thank God (stayed up all night for a few nights to check) i moved into this council flat in a 300yr old house 10yrs ago, it was full of long tails during cold weather so i assure you we have seen & tried alot. When i used to let the council put bait down it just encouraged alot more activity, city long tails are known to eat bait when pregnant so babies are born immune, the bait in my flat became a popular feeding station! I believe these repellers do work but i think the beasts may get used to them or they just get too old, one unit with a test button that lowers the frequency so we can hear it, now sounds very weak but its a few years old so fair enouth! Stopping gaps helps (during day when long tails are out or you’ll block them in!) Also dont bother with plugs that dont use electro magnetic feature i dont belive any long tail could ‘nest’ in a place using the wiring system. Heard they dont like peppermint oil either, incidently i have hardly had insects especially considering age & state of the building. I think the pest control companies dont rate these plugs because they dont help their business & the council dont because they do everything the cheapest way possible, after all, baiting doesn’t work does it?! Best of luck everyone, i pray these pests find somewhere else to live far away from us all!